Not Just a Dream (Shades and Shadows - Part 5)
by Vulcanlogic93
Summary: A series of drabbles. Sequel to Life is Like a Song, Living Every Moment, Good Days and Bad and A Life Worth Living. Rory and Stephen are happily married with a baby daughter and Callum and Boo are engaged. Sometimes, they can't believe it's not a dream. Fluff, smut, lots of story. *M for some later chapters. These are noted* Disclaimer: Characters belong to Maureen Johnson
1. Nightmares and Comforts

**AN: And so here we are at series 5. Not alphabetical this time (theres only so many x and z words lol) but hopefully you'll enjoy them just as much. Emily, I watch OUAT too. I hope it picks up again. Series 5 seems ok so far so I'll keep my fingers crossed. Completely love the show. I'm hoping the last book ends in such a way that I'll be able to bridge book 4 and these drabbles alright with a prologue and a few tweaks here and there. So, I'm hoping to continue in this little universe I've made cause I've grown quite attached to AU I've made for them. I may write some others though, so never say never. Ashley gave a lovely description of what MC is one of her last reviews of Series 4 :) Ashley, a stripper event would empty my bank account. I'd be alright about it though xD When I was coming home from Uni the other day, a guy got on my Metro (or subway I think you call them?), anyway, he got on my train and sat opposite me and I swear to God, it was the actual Stephen Dene. He was tall, skinny, striped jumper, baggy jeans, scarf, dark hair, glasses, the works. I had to concentrate to not stare at him. And I can totally imagine Stephen in the secret Shade mobile. Sort of like the Mystery Machine. And he'd be blasting Ghostbusters or something xD And I genuinely didn't know that you guys don't do Boxing Day over there! Upon further inspection, I see that it is a British/Commonwealth thing but I honestly didn't know that until you said. It's basically Christmas Day 2. Most Brits just do the exact same thing they do on Christmas but without opening presents. For me, thats playing board games, eating chocolate, watching movies with family etc. Historically, it's about packing up the rubbish but its just an extra Christmas really.**

 **Nightmares and comforts**

She would be woken by a frantic voice. That voice would always say the same thing. "It's Stephen. I can't wake him up." _No_ , she thought. _He was fine._ She would dive out of bed. Their bed at Goodwin's court. Her mind knew that was wrong. That wasn't where Stephen had slipped into his coma. She would shake her head and run downstairs.

Stephen was always standing in the middle of the living room. He was pale but he was there. Rory sighed in relief. "Oh thank god. She said she couldn't wake you up."

"You couldn't."

His voice was hollow and distant. Behind her, somewhere in the flat, a baby cried. She looked around the room. "Where's Gina?"

Stephen tilted his head to the side. "Gina?"

"Yes, Gina. Our daughter."

"How could we have a daughter? You couldn't wake me up."

Rory shook her head and sobbed. "But...but...I brought you home."

"No," said a voice behind her. She wheeled around. "Dead is dead," Callum said.

"But he's there."

"And you need to stay away from him. You'll blow him up."

She looked down at her hands. She heard another cry from a baby. "Gina..."

She felt a presence behind her. She turned to see Stephen close to her. She leapt back. "No! I got you back! Don't come near me! You know what will happen!"

He shook his head and walked toward her. She was pressed against the wall as he advanced. She couldn't get away from him. She was going to kill him. Her voice was high with fear and grief. "Stephen...I can't lose you... _please._ "

She was crying as he took her hand. It felt warm in hers as the light enveloped them. She screamed as she terminated him. But the warmth of his hand would always stay and then his hand would clasp hers. And then the nightmare fell away and she opened her eyes to see Stephen lying next to her holding her hand. Stephen, who she brought home. Stephen, who was here and alive. Stephen, who had held her hand through many nights. Stephen, her husband and father of her child. She would never let him go. Her life was perfect now but she knew she would never escape the nightmares. But she didn't need to so long as Stephen was there with her.

* * *

He would be running through a deserted London street. He would always hear Rory calling for him, begging him to stay. _Stay where?_ he would try to yell back. There was never a response. She would beg him not to leave. _I won't leave you_ , he promised. He kept running. He always arrived back at Goodwin's Court. _Yes_ , he thought. _This is home_. But it was always empty. He was always alone. But when he turned around, he wasn't alone. His sister stood there, pale and dead. "Stephen, help me..."

"How?"

"Help me..."

"Gina, tell me how. _Please._ "

He was desperate. His sister needed help. Upstairs, a baby cried. Stephen turned to the sound immediately. He whispered. "Gina..."

His daughter. He ran up the stairs and into the nursery. A plain room. An empty one. He turned around and walked into the bedroom. Another empty room. Another baby cry, now from downstairs. "Gina?"

He hurried back down and saw Rory on the floor, contorted. Her scar wasn't a scar. It was an open wound. Too much blood. Too much. He screamed and dropped to his knees. Newman stood close by. "Quiet now."

Stephens head whipped around. Newman was holding Regina. "You'll wake the baby." He nodded to Rory's body. "You were supposed to protect her."

Stephen sobbed as he looked back to his wife. "Rory..."

He crawled to her and took her hand. It was cold. Icy cold. Newmans voice was poison in his ear. "You failed."

He shook his head and sobbed again. "Rory, please..."

Whenever they got too bad, he would feel arms around him. He'd feel kisses against his head. He'd hear a heartbeat in his ear. And the world of the nightmare would melt away and he'd find himself cradled against Rory. Rory, who would wake when she heard him call her name. Rory, who could always calm the terror. Rory, who made everything ok. Rory, his wife and mother of his child. She would always pull him close and she never let him go. His life was perfect now but he knew he would never escape the nightmares. But he didn't need to so long as Rory was there with him.

* * *

He would always be arriving back at Goodwin's Court. A different building to the new one but much the same in the inside. His phone would always have Stephens name on it, a missed call. He'd heard the voice mail, Stephens shaking voice telling him to get back to Goodwin's Court because something had happened.

He'd run up the stairs and see Stephen sitting with Rory. What was Rory doing there? Shouldn't she be at school? No, wait...that was ages ago. Wasn't it? "There's been an accident." Stephens voice echoed in Callums head. But Callum wasn't in the flat anymore. He was on the street. A car was parked nearby. Boo was lying on the road. She was dead.

"Boo..."

He stood in shock. He had never told her how he felt about her, had never had the guts.

"She tried to use this on me." He turned slowly and saw Newman holding a terminus. Boos terminus, Persephone. Callum shook his head and turned back to Boo.

She was still lying in the street but now Stephen lay nearby. There was a cut on his head, his right temple. It was bleeding and his breathing was slow and becoming ever slower. Boo was dead and Stephen was dying. Callum shook his head quickly and backed away from the sight. He turned back to Newman.

Newman's voice was cold. "Persephone was always my favourite diamond. Still is."

He was still holding the terminus, still holding Persephone, but now it wasn't the phone or the diamond. Now it was the person who had absorbed it's powers. He held a knife to Rory's throat.

"Let her go, you bastard."

Newman laughed as he pushed Rory away. He slashed at her stomach. Rory gasped and looked to Callum before she fell. He screamed. Rory was gone before he could help. He turned back to Boo and Stephen. Stephen had stopped breathing. Freddie was close by now. She too was dead.

"No... Please no..."

He'd close his eyes for a minute, trying to block it out. When he opened them again Stephen, Rory and Freddie were gone. Boo was still dead.

"Boo...please wake up...Boo..." He sobbed.

Then he would hear a soothing whisper and feel a hand stroking his cheek. The nightmare would disappear and he'd always find himself in bed with Boo. She would pull herself close to him and comfort him. He would always feel better. Boo, his fiancée. Boo, the love of his life. Boo, who made the whole life worth the trouble. He hadn't lost her when she was hit by that car. And he hadn't lost the others either.

* * *

She would always be sitting in the office at Goodwin's Court. The TV would always be on. Explosion in West London... They couldn't get through to Stephen, Callum or Freddie. But then they came home.

Stephen and Freddie were unharmed. Callum had a cut on his head. _Hospital_ , she thought. _He needs a hospital_. But she didn't say it out loud.

He'd go for a nap and she'd stay awake. She'd watch TV. She'd read a book. It was Stephen that always alerted her to the problem.

"Don't you remember, Boo?"

"Remember what?"

"I died."

"How could I forget?"

"Do you remember how?"

Suddenly he was bleeding. There was a cut on his right temple. She breathed in sharply and ran to Callum. She suddenly found herself in the Waterloo flat. She went into their bedroom and shook him. She shook him hard. She kept shaking him. His head was bleeding.

"Callum! Wake up!"

"It's too late Boo."

She turned to see Stephen, his head still bleeding. "No," she whispered. "No."

She shook him again. "Callum, wake up...please."

She sobbed as Rory came over to her. "It's hard losing the man you love."

"Callum!"

When he didn't stir, she dropped to her knees. "No..."

"Boo?"

That was Callum's voice. She would always hear Callum's voice when things got too bad. She was gently, very gently, shook. She whimpered and gasped as the nightmare faded and she saw Callum sitting on the bed, cup of tea in hand. She would smile at him softly and sit up, taking the cup from him. Callum, her fiancé. Callum, who she had always loved. Callum, who would soon be her husband. She hadn't lost him. And she wouldn't for a long time.


	2. Surprise

**Surprise**

Jazza paced the living room of hers and Jeromes flat. The early January morning light shone through the windows. Jerome was at work and had been since 9am. It was 11 now and Jazza had been pacing for an hour. Who should she tell first? Jerome probably. Yes, it would have to be Jerome. But he didn't finish till 5 and she desperately needed to tell someone. Besides, she didn't know how to tell him. Rory! She would tell Rory! Of course she would tell Rory first. She would be delighted.

She quickly scooped up her coat and handbag and hurried out of the flat. A 30 minute tube ride brought her to the door of Goodwin's Court. She entered the code on the keypad and let herself into the building. She could hear talking in the office and gingerly knocked on the door, opening it to reveal Boo, Freddie and Thorpe. They all looked up from their work and smiled at her.

"Oh hey guys."

"Hey Jaz!" Boo grinned at her.

"How can we help you Jazza?" Thorpe asked kindly.

"I was just looking for Rory."

"She's upstairs love," Freddie replied.

"Ok, thanks guys. Talk in a bit."

"Ok," they all echoed and Jazza quietly shut the door again before heading upstairs to the flat. She took a deep breath, absentmindedly rubbing her stomach as she did, knocked on the door and opened it. "Rory?"

Rory called from the kitchen. "Jaz? Is that you?"

Jazza smiled to herself and closed the door of the flat behind her. She walked into the dining area and down into the kitchen. She smiled when she saw Rory with Regina. "Yeah, it's me."

"Hey." Rory came up to her, hugging her with one arm while she balanced Regina upright in the other.

Jazza giggled. "She's getting big."

"I know. Nearly four months old if you can believe it. Look Gina. Aunty Jazza's here to see us."

Regina giggled and Rory smiled to Jazza. "Do you want to hold her?"

Jazza grinned. "Yeah."

Rory carefully passed Regina over to Jazza before walking back down into the kitchen. "Do you want a cup of tea? Or I have some cheez-wiz."

"Both is good."

Rory laughed. "Well that's true."

"So where's Stephen?"

"Out on call. Something about a ghost in a basement somewhere."

"I thought Stephen needed you whenever he went out?"

Rory prepared a cup of tea and a cup of hot chocolate as she spoke. "Only if Callum and Boo are out too. Then he needs me. But if one of them stays in, he takes their terminus and I get a rest. We're trying to work it so one of us is always home with Gina in case..." She hesitated before going a bit quieter. "Well...we don't want something happening to both of us. We want Gina to have at least one of us."

Jazza acknowledged that with a silent nod. She couldn't imagine how hard it was to live with the possibility of losing the person you loved day in day out. She couldn't bear it if anything happened to Jerome. Especially now. She looked to Regina who was playing with her hair and smiled. She bit her lip. She needed to tell Rory. Rory cleared her throat and a smile came back to her face. "But we've been fine up until now. Neither one of us thinks somethings actually gonna happen. It's just a precaution."

Jazza turned her attention from Regina to Rory. She nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure everything will be fine. Rory...I need to tell you something."

Rory's eyebrows furrowed. "Nothing bad I hope? Oh god, you're not splitting up with Jerome are you?"

Jazza laughed. "No, no, me and Jerome are fine. More than fine." She started giggling and then she sniffed as she looked at Regina. Rory came over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Jaz, sweety, what's the matter? You sound like you're gonna cry."

"I might." Jazza sobbed out a laugh. She spoke through some more sobs. "But it's cause I'm happy. I don't suppose...it's possible for me to take Gina out once every couple of weeks?"

Rory smiled gently and rubbed her arm. "I'll have to ask Stephen but I'm sure it'll be fine. We'd be happy for the break. Is there a special reason or you just want to spend time with her?"

She laughed. "Cause she's my goddaughter and I love her and..." She sobbed again happily. "And it'll be good practise."

"Practise for wha-" She stopped abruptly and her mouth opened a bit wider. It pulled into a smile at the sides as she looked at Jazza. Jazza was grinning. "Wait...Jazza...are you...?"

Jazza nodded slowly. "Rory...I'm pregnant."

"Oh my god!" Rory squealed and threw her hands over her mouth and started laughing into them. The front door opened at that moment.

"Sweetheart?"

"Kitchen!" Rory yelled back happily. Stephen walked in a few seconds later. "Oh hey Jaz."

"Hi Stephen." Jazza turned to smile at him with tear filled eyes and Stephen was about to ask what was wrong but Rory spoke first. "Darling, you're just in time. Here." She took Regina from Jaz and handed her to Stephen. "Hold Gina for a second." She went back to her best friend and pulled her into a hug. They both laughed against each other.

"Do I get to share the news?"

Jazza laughed as she pulled apart from Rory. She nodded and wiped her eyes. "Me and Jerome are having a baby."

Stephen gasped. "Jazza, that's wonderful! Congratulations!"

"Thanks. Now I just have to tell Jerome."

"You haven't told him yet?" Stephen asked.

"No...I don't know how."

"Well, no matter how you do it, he'll be thrilled. Just like I was when I found out that Rory was pregnant."

"Oh look at us Jaz," Rory said. "It feels like yesterday we were schoolgirls sharing a room. Now I'm a mother and you're going to be one!"

"I know," Jazza squealed. Rory ran back to her for another hug and when they pulled apart, Stephen gave Jazza a well practised one armed hug. Regina was giggling. Stephen chuckled. "I think that Gina knows something exciting is happening."

Jazza sighed happily as she sat down at the dining table. Rory sat next to her and put an arm around her. "Honestly Jaz, you're gonna love being a mother."

"I know. I can't wait."


	3. Stunned

**AN: Yeah, I ship Jazza/Jerome (Jazrome? Jerza? Whatever xD) so hard. And it's not even a ship but damn, it needs to be because I love them and feels and general flailing. And OMG Ashley! MC Loveaholic part 2 has an Albert story. My body is ready. And tiny free Albert pumpkin plushie. Just...yes. Wizardess Heart sounds good but MC has literally taken over my life ahahah. And I'll add those books to the list :) Oh! And** **I'm uber sorry for how long this update has taken. I decided to make a fanmade movie trailer to The Name of the Star and that took up a lot of sanity and writing time xD**

 **Stunned**

Jerome had been at work all day and was exhausted but the time he hauled himself into his car. He had quickly checked his phone on his break and had seen a message from Jazza. It had come through an hour before.

 ** _Just gone to Rory's. I'll probably be back by the time you get home though xxx_**

He'd replied as soon as he could.

 _ **Ok hon. I'll see you later. Say hi to Rory and Stephen for me xxx**_

The reply came almost instantly.

 _ **They both say hi. I need to tell you something but not over the phone xxx**_

His heart had skipped a beat at that. What could be so important that she couldn't tell him over the phone? She wasn't breaking up with him was she? God, he wouldn't be able to cope if he ever lost Jaz. _No_ , he thought. _There's still three kisses on the end of the text. If she wanted to end things, she wouldn't have put them. Would she?_ He had quickly text her back before his break ended.

 _ **Ok sweetheart. I'll be home in a few hours xxx**_

So now he drove through the London streets, dark in the late January evening, his mind running through all the possibilities it could think of. He'd been thinking about it for a few hours now. He eventually pulled up outside their flat and half fell half ran inside. He closed the front door and took off his coat as he called into the flat. "Jaz? Sweety?"

Jazza stepped out of the bedroom into the living room. She smiled at Jerome nervously. "Hey."

"Hey," he replied. He cocked his head at her. "You seem nervous." He walked over to her with that easy smile he had and placed his hands on her arms. "Is everything ok?"

She smiled at him softly and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him and his arms went around her middle. She pulled away slowly. "I'm fine. It's just...I have something to tell you."

"Ahhh yes," he said. "The mysterious text. I've been wondering about that all day."

She disentangled herself from him and stepped back a bit. She went to sit on their couch and patted the cushion next to her. "Sit down."

He bit his lip and sat next to her. She turned her body so she was facing him. "Ok. I don't quite know how to do this..."

"Do what?"

She started flexing her fingers nervously. "I've been trying to figure out how to do this all day..."

He took her hands in his. "Sweetheart...do what?"

She looked at him with wide eyes. "Tell you..."

He gave her hands a gentle squeeze and his voice was soft. "Just tell me, honey. It's ok."

She sighed and smiled. "You like it when we have the day with Gina don't you?"

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. What did Gina have to do with anything? He chuckled slightly. "Yeah."

She giggled nervously. "Gina's a proper little Rory isn't she?"

He nodded gently. "Yeah...sweetheart...what's going on?"

She looked at him for a minute. "So you like looking after Gina?"

"Yeah."

"Well...how would you feel...if I told you that...we have our own..."

Realisation as to what her news might be began to dawn on him slowly. He inhaled softly. _Oh god_ , he thought. _Is she...?_ "Jaz...are you...?"

Jazza looked into his wide eyes and nodded. "Jerome...I'm pregnant."

His mouth slowly dropped open. He blinked hard a few times before staring at her wide eyed. "But...but...how? We use protection..."

"I guess it just didn't work."

He nodded. "Well, condoms aren't 100% effective."

"Jerome...you do want this baby don't you?"

He noticed the shake in her voice before he heard her words. But as soon as the words registered, he smiled at her widely. "Yes, of course! I'm just shocked. But happy. Really happy."

She sighed in relief as he hugged her. "Thank god."

He held her close and laughed happily before he picked up his phone. "I've got to text Ro- wait. Rory already knows doesn't she?"

Jazza smiled guiltily. "Yeah."

He chuckled. "That's why you were around at hers."

"Guilty as charged."

He laughed. "I'm still gonna text her."

Jazza giggled as he typed.

 _ **Hey gross. I know you already know this but I'm gonna be a dad! :D x**_

He'd only just set his phone on the arm of the couch when the reply came through.

 _ **Yeah, I know! Congrats my wonderfully disgusting friend xD xx**_

Jazza smiled softly at the texts. "I love how you still insult each other."

He laughed. "Yeah, it's just one of those things that never goes away. It's how I managed to stay in contact with her when she went missing all those years ago. That's how I knew it was her. It's just our own little thing."

Jazza nestled against him. "No, I get it. It's sweet."

He started laughing. "Oh my god...we're having a baby."

Jazza giggled against him and he kissed the top of her forehead as his phone buzzed again.

 _ **Stephen says to come round and we'll open a bottle of something to celebrate. We have lemonade for Jaz :) x**_

Jerome held the phone out to Jazza to read. She smiled and nodded. "Great. Come on. Let's go get me wasted on lemonade."

Jerome laughed as they stood and he pulled her into a gentle kiss before leaving the flat. They got the tube to Goodwin's Court because they were both far too distracted to drive. When they got there, Jazza went to find Rory in the living room and Stephen held out a glass of champagne to Jerome as soon as he stepped through the door. "You need a drink."

Jerome laughed as he accepted the glass. "You're not wrong."

Stephen smiled. "Trust me, the shock will probably wear off eventually."

"Probably?"

Stephen chuckled. "Gina's four months old and I'm still in shock that I'm a dad. But I think that's just me."

Jerome laughed again as he sipped his champagne. He spied Rory as she made her way over to him. He held put his glass down as she threw her arms around him. "Ahhhh! This is so exciting!"

He chuckled against her before she pulled away. "I know. I can't believe it."

Just as Rory was about to speak, Gina cried upstairs. Rory turned around but Stephen motioned for her to stay. "It's alright darling. I'll get her. You stay with Jerome and Jaz."

He smiled at her before he went upstairs. Rory turned back to Jerome. "You're gonna love being a parent. It's amazing. You won't sleep again but it's worth it."

"Well, I'm excited." He looked across to Jazza at the living room door and saw Stephen descend the stairs out the corner of his eye. He was carrying Gina. Rory took a step back so that she was next to Stephen. Jerome smiled at the three of them as Jazza came over to him. He put his arm around her as he watched Rory and Stephen with Gina. He smiled as the thought of having all of that with Jazza in just nine months.


	4. Planning

**Planning**

Venues. That was one of the choices she had to make. Dresses. Flowers. Hairstyles. So many, many choices. Boo sat on the floor with bridal magazines open all around her. One page of one had dresses, one page of another had hairstyles, one page of another had a list of flowers that would look nice at a wedding. She sighed as she rearranged the magazines. Maybe if she moved them around, inspiration might come. Ok. Firstly, venues. There was a cute little church not too far from them or there was a registry office in central London. She would need to talk to Callum about that. That was for the ceremony. The reception was a different matter. Should they have a large one or a small one? Small one. There wasn't that many people going. Although, both her family and Callums would be there as well as Rory, Stephen, little Regina, Thorpe, Freddie, Jazza and Jerome. Ok, large one. They'd have a large reception. Thorpe had said he'd try and book the Hilton again like he'd done for Rory and Stephen but that might not manage the bridal suite. After all, Rory's parents had paid half for that. Boo didn't mind.

At least one of her choices had been sorted. She knew who her bridesmaids were. Rory was maid of honour, and Jazza, Freddie and Regina were bridesmaids. She smiled to herself as she imagined Regina being carried by Rory in a tiny little dress. She was going to be adorable. Both she and Callum had also figured out who would be walking who down the aisle. Stephen, Callums best man, would naturally be walking Rory and Regina. Thorpe would be walking Freddie again like he had done at Rory and Stephens wedding and Jerome would be walking Jazza, naturally.

They had also figured out a date. Well, nearly figured one out. Ok, they knew what month they wanted. September. September was always a good month. Rory had come into Stephens and, by extension, their lives in September. Stephen had proposed in September. Regina had been born in September. So they wanted September because it would mark five years since Stephen met Rory, three since he proposed, Regina's first birthday and, hopefully, their own wedding. September. Boo really wanted a September wedding.

She sighed again as she looked at the magazines. _Time to call in the cavalry_ , she thought.

* * *

Now Boo, Rory, Freddie and Jazza sat on the floor surrounded by bridal magazines. Cups of tea and hot chocolate sat next to them. They'd spent the last hour dividing up the jobs. Rory would help Boo pick the dresses. Freddie would help pick the flowers and Jazza would help with hair and make up. Boo had managed to breath a sigh of relief. Now she could focus on each thing separately. They were all talking excitedly about the wedding.

"Do you think I'll be able to get Gina a little bridesmaid dress?" Rory asked.

"I'm sure we'll find something, yeah? If not, we could get her one of those little white communion dresses and add some bows."

"Hmmm," Rory hummed her agreement as she drank her hot chocolate.

"Jaz, love, you can just wear whatever feels comfortable at the time," Boo called across the field of magazines. "I really don't mind. You'll be about ready to drop then, yeah?"

"In September? Yeah, I'll be about 8 months gone but don't worry. I'll just order a size humongous so it can fit the bump."

They all laughed. "Oh, I hope you have a Halloween baby," Freddie said. "That would be cute."

Boo smiled widely. Rory giggled. "As if this group wasn't strange enough."

"Speak for yourself," Jazza giggled.

"Yeah," Boo agreed. "Jazza and Jerome are the only ones who aren't odd which, ironically, makes them the odd ones out."

They all laughed again before Jazza spoke. "What about little Gina though?"

Rory swallowed her hot chocolate quickly. "Did I forget to tell you?"

Jazza narrowed her eyes questioningly. Rory continued. "You know how I told you there's a ghost in the Wexford library?"

"Oh yeah...Alistair? Is that his name?"

"Yeah, well I took Gina to meet him and she saw him."

"So she's odd too," Boo added.

"Oh well. It's better being odd than normal," Jazza said. "More fun, I imagine."

"Sometimes," Freddie agreed.

They were all quiet for a minute as they sipped their drinks and turned pages of the magazines. Jazza licked her lips and nodded her head gently. "Alistair...that's a nice name."

Boo smiled to herself. She had to go and see Alistair soon. It had been a while. It would be cute if Jazza had a boy and named him Alistair. "Have you thought about names yet, love?"

Jazza giggled. "Boo, I only found out I was pregnant a week ago."

"Fair enough."

"But Alistair is a nice name...I'll remember that."

"Oh my God!" Rory exclaimed. "I've just had the best idea. Jazza, if you've had the baby by Halloween and you're up for it, you, me and Boo need to do Zombie Spice Girls again!"

"Oh yeah!" Boo agreed. "Freddie can be Posh and Gina could be Baby!"

Jazza laughed. "Sounds like a plan."

Freddie's eyebrows were raised. " _Zombie Spice Girls?_ "

Boo nodded quickly. "Yeah, it was a group costume we did at Wexford. We had a bone for Posh and we told everyone we ate Baby. It was amazing. But then I got hit by a car."

"Oh god!" Freddie exclaimed. "What happened?"

"The Ripper happened," Boo stated matter of factly. She realised she had effectively killed the conversation by accident.

Thankfully, Rory saved it. "Tell me what you want, what you really, really want."

"BRAINS," Boo, Rory and Jazza said in unison.

"My god," Freddie said. "Was that part of it?"

"Yep," Jazza nodded happily.

"Wow...that's...insane." Freddie started laughing.

"Well," Boo said with a smile as she turned a page. "That just about sums us up."


	5. Shoulder to cry on

**AN: Whoa, I just had a surge on inspiration, started writing and have been writing all day. I actually nearly have chapters 7 and 8 done too so I might be updating again tomorrow, perhaps. I've just had such feels today and had to get it out. Ashley, I totally have the image of you scaring old people because of excitement and I'm very proud of myself xD I got Alberts big bad wolf story too and I cannot wait for his part in loveaholic. His will be the first story I go for. Giles is just...I love his route, I really, really do. And yes, his chest is very nice and bedroom tutoring...damn son. Why you so fine? And fictional. Story of my life. Omg, I went back and reread that chapter after you mentioned it and it feels like forever ago. Apparently, I published that in June so that chapter would've been about early July ish (seriously, only three months ago? Feels longer). Anyways, here's some more and perhaps you'll get more tomorrow as well if I get them done. Also, there's sort of an OC here except you don't actually meet her and I've mentioned her a few times before, but not by name. Up until this point, any mention of her has been "Freddie's girlfriend" but now she has a name xD**

 **Shoulder to cry on**

Freddie walked through the streets of London in a daze. She should've seen it coming. She really should've. This had happened before. Cars whizzed past her as she walked, head down, hood up, trying to shield herself from the February wind. Despite the noise on the streets, she could hear her footsteps echoing on the ground with each step she took. She was walking on automatic, not concentrating on where her feet were carrying her.

By the time she reached the flat at Waterloo, she was cold, tired and miserable. She unlocked the front door and pulled herself upstairs into the flat. Boo and Callum sat on the couch, giggling away. They both turned around when she came in. She offered them a small, weak and incredibly fake smile. "Hey guys."

"Hey," Callum said.

"Hey, love." Boo was about to turn away but she did a double take. "Love? Are you alright?"

When he heard Boo ask that, Callum turned back and noticed that Freddie didn't seem her usual chirpy self. Freddie offered the same smile as she walked over and collapsed into the armchair. "I'm fine," she lied.

Boo raised an eyebrow. Freddie widened her smile. Boo raised her eyebrows even higher. Freddie's smile collapsed. "No, I'm not."

Boo looked at her sympathetically while Callum stood up. "I'll let put the kettle on."

Boo smiled at him as he walked through to the kitchen before looking back to Freddie. She scooted a little closer. "What's wrong love?"

Freddie looked down at the floor and sighed. "I think Emily wants to break up with me."

Boos face dropped. "Aww no. Are you sure?"

"Well...she's talking about taking a break."

"Well," Boo said gently. "It doesn't sound definite."

"I guess...but I know what the problem is and it's not something I can easily fix."

"Let me guess...she doesn't know much about you and thinks you're too secretive."

"Yep. And if I tell her the truth, she'll think I'm mad."

Boo considered it for a moment. "Why don't you tell her half of the truth. You work for the police but the unit you're in is top secret."

Freddie nodded gently. "I could do that." She sighed. "It's just a big mess. All I want is..." She sighed again and bit her lip.

Boo put a hand on her arm. "What love?"

Freddie's bottom lip trembled. She thought about her last girlfriend, the one who left for Scotland. She couldn't be honest with her either. She thought about Rory and Stephen and how things had worked out for them. They didn't have to lie to each other, didn't have to keep secrets. They both understood each other's lives. She thought about Callum and Boo and how easy things were for them for the same reason. There was no lying, no deceit and a shared madness. She sniffed and her voice shook. "I just want someone who understands."

She sobbed gently as Boo took her hands. "Come here love."

Freddie let Boo pull her over onto the couch and felt her arm go around her. She cried against her. Boo whispered soothingly. "It'll be alright. Things might yet work out with Emily, yeah? You just have to...be as honest as possible. Only hold back the really mad stuff."

Freddie nodded against her. She heard Callum come back though with the teas. He set them down on the table gently. He didn't interrupt as Freddie gently wept. After a moment or two, she pulled away from Boo gently to pick up a cup of tea. She sipped the hot liquid slowly, letting the tea warm her. She wiped her eyes and stared into her tea. Callum spoke quietly. "Everything alright?"

Freddie felt Boo look at her and Freddie nodded. "I need to talk to Emily. See if I can sort this out."

She sniffed again and took another sip of tea. "We haven't completely broken up yet. She wants a break. She said she'd phone me in a week to talk. I won't worry until then. And I'll figure out what the hell today."

Boo rubbed her back. "We can help you with that if you like? We're here for you love. Whenever you need to talk or a shoulder to cry on, we're here."

"Yeah," Callum agreed. "We all are."

Freddie smiled again but this time it was real. "Thanks guys."

"Let us know how it goes," Boo said.

"I will."

"It'll be ok, love," Callum added. "You'll always have us."

Freddie looked up and him and nodded. Her eyes still watered and her lip still trembled but she knew he was right. They were her family and her family wouldn't let her be alone.


	6. Visit

**Visit**

No, Edward had certainly not been happy. He hadn't been happy when she went to see them on Boxing Day either but she hadn't let it stop her. And she wouldn't let him stop her now. She had phoned ahead the previous day and he had turned his nose up as she spoke on the phone. He had tried to talk her out of it all night, tried to tell her that Stephen wasn't worth their time. _He may not be worth yours_ , she had thought to herself. _But he's worth mine. They all are._

Even as she dressed to leave for the early train the next morning, he tried to talk her out of it. But she had left him mid sentence and went for the train. Now she was ten minutes from London and smiling happily. It had been two months since she had seen her son and his family and she couldn't wait to see them again. She had a new little teddy for Regina and a gold choker for Rory. She had found it when she was clearing up and she decided to give it to her daughter-in-law because she didn't wear chokers anymore. That and she had noticed the heart pendant Rory always wore and she thought the gold choker would set it off nicely if there was a special occasion.

She looked out of the train window as Outer London went by. She could still hear her husbands voice in her head telling her that visiting them was a terrible idea. She wasn't going to let him change the progress she had made. Too long she had forgotten how to be a mother and she would never be able to fix things with her daughter. But she still had a chance with her son and when she realised that she wanted to fix things, she had grabbed that chance with both hands and hadn't let go. She wasn't going to let Edward pry her hands from it now. Now she had a real relationship with Stephen, something she had never had before. And because of that, she had a chance to be a part of her granddaughters life. Edward would never know that joy and she felt pity for him.

Outer London morphed into central London as the train neared Kings Cross. She checked her watch. 10am. Right on time. Stephen was meeting her outside the station in five minutes. She picked up her handbag from beside her feet and disembarked the train once it had pulled to a stop. She walked along the platform merrily, her heels clicking on the concrete. She stepped out onto the busy London street and searched for Stephen.

"Mum!" She turned her head in the direction of the call and smiled as she saw Stephen jogging towards her. He slowed to a run as he neared and she stepped closer.

"Hello dear."

"Hi mum. Good trip?" He pulled her into a quick hug and she squeezed him before pulling apart. He motioned toward the direction he came from and they started to walk. She nodded.

"Quite pleasant."

"I bet father's not happy you're here."

"Your fathers not happy about a lot of things, Stephen. But yes, you're right. He's quite opposed to the idea."

Stephen chuckled. "All the more reason then."

Diana smiled at her son. "Indeed. How are Rory and Gina?"

He smiled widely. "Both fine. Gina can sit up by herself now. And she recognises her name. And she's chewing on everything."

"Has she started babbling yet?"

"Oh yeah. She loves that. And making bubbles."

Diana chuckled. "I have a new teddy for her."

Stephen looked across at his mother and smiled. "Thanks. I'm sure she'll love it. Here we are."

He nodded at a plain vehicle that sat parked by the side of the road. Diana tilted her head slightly. "Is it allowed to be parked there?"

He chuckled. "It's an unmarked vehicle. Looks normal but has all the privileges of a marked police car. Means I could park here instead of waiting forever for an actual space."

Diana laughed as she walked around to the front passenger seat and opened the door. "Abusing your power, dear?"

He smiled at her widely as they climbed into the car. "Yeah, a little."

Diana settled into the seat and fastened her seatbelt as Stephen did the same thing. He expertly manoeuvred the car out onto the road and drove in the direction of Goodwin's Court. "So what time is your train back?"

"Not until 7. I have the whole day here."

She saw Stephen grin as he drove around a bus. He really was quite a skilled driver. "I'm glad," he replied. "I've missed you."

She looked at him gently. "I've missed you too."

He quickly glanced at her with a smile before looking back to the road. His face lit up as he remembered something. "Oh, mum. If you look on the backseat, there's a photo album I thought you might want to see."

Diana turned to look and saw the album. She reached behind her and picked it up. She opened it and gasped at the photos. Stephen continued. "I thought you'd want to see them because you weren't there on the day."

He glanced across at her again and saw her nod. She looked through the photos slowly, taking each one in. She bit her lip and smiled sadly as she looked at photo after photo of her sons wedding day. "These are lovely. I'm just sorry we couldn't make things right before then. I'm sorry I wasn't there."

They had stopped at a light and Stephen took the chance to look at her. Diana looked up and saw her son looking at her sadly. "Me too. But we're making up for it now."

Before long, they were parking up near the arched entrance of Goodwin's Court. They both exited the car and walked towards Stephens building. He cleared his throat. "So...how's father?"

She glanced to him as she walked. "Oh, he's fine. As stubborn as ever. As much as you hate each other, you can't deny that you get your stubbornness from him."

He smiled to her sheepishly. She was reminded of a time when he was a toddler and he broke a vase. He had smiled that same sheepish smile then. She smiled warmly as she thought of it. They both walked into the building and up the stairs into the flat. Stephen led her into the living room. Inside, Rory was sitting with Gina on a play mat. Just as Stephen had said, Gina was supporting herself. Rory looked up and smiled. "Hey Diana."

"Hello, Rory dear," she replied as she sat on the couch and looked down to them. "Hello Gina."

At the sound of her name, Regina babbled and turned her head in Diana's direction. Diana turned to look at Stephen in the doorway and he smiled at her. "Told you she recognises her name. Do you want a cup of tea, mum?"

"Yes, please dear. Thank you."

He nodded at her before looking across the room. "Rory? Hot chocolate?"

"I'd kill for one."

"Right." He smiled at them all before making his way through to the kitchen.

Regina giggled on the play mat and Diana stood and walked over, lowering herself down next to Rory and Regina. Rory smiled brightly as she did so. "Look Gina, it's Grandma Diana."

Diana stroked Regina's cheek. "Hello darling. You're getting big." She gently picked Regina up and cuddled her before setting her back down on the mat. Diana reached for her handbag. "I brought this for you, dear." She lifted the teddy bear out of the bag and handed it to Regina. She immediately started chewing on it. Diana laughed and reached back into the bag. "And this is for you," she said to Rory. Rory looked at her curiously and her eyes widened when she saw the gold choker. "I thought it would go well with this heart pendant you wear." She nodded to the necklace that hung around Rory's neck. "For special occasions."

Rory giggled and took the choker. "Thank you. I love it."

She leant forward and hugged Diana before Regina giggled between them. They pulled apart as Stephen came back into the room. He paused for a moment before grinning widely at the sight of his wife, daughter and mother sitting together on the play mat. He put the tray of mugs on the table and sat down next to them, passing the hot chocolate to Rory and the tea to Diana. She accepted the cup with a thank you. Before Stephen could pick up his cup, Regina held her arms out to him. He smiled down at her and picked her up. Diana sipped her tea as she watched her son with his own child.

She bit her lip once more but both she and Rory started laughing as Regina pulled Stephens glasses off. He chuckled. "Oi. What are you doing you little madam? Daddy needs them to see." Rory reached over and gently took the glasses from Regina with a laugh. Stephen chuckled again and kissed his daughter on the head before sitting her back down on the mat and accepting his glasses from Rory. "Thanks, hon."

Diana chuckled to herself and her eyes widened as Regina shuffled herself over to Diana. Stephen helped her along a bit once he saw where she was going. "I think she wants her grandma."

Diana smiled warmly as she set down her tea and picked up her granddaughter. She held her close as Regina giggled in her arms. It was this exact reason that she wouldn't let Edward change anything now. She liked being here. She liked sitting with her son and her daughter-in-law and her granddaughter. She liked being able to laugh and play with her son and his family like any other parent could. She liked being accepted by them and loved by them. She thought she had lost that a long time ago and yet here she was. She looked up from Regina to Stephen and saw him watching them with a wide smile. _Edward be damned_ , she thought. _This is my family. And I won't lose it again_.


	7. Collapse

**AN: Ashley, everyone should get better acquainted with Giles' chest. Giles is just...Giles is bae. It's the only word. My god, that bit at the beginning of his route though - "perhaps a physical demonstration would be quicker." I was like, yes, thats fine. Please do Giles. I'm planning on doing Byrons route next. I'm excited for it. Honestly, I'm Freddie too. I like your theory though. Too hot to handle. I like that. Yeah, the clothes for part 2 don't impress me as much as part 1 but Alberts skirt is gorgeous. I'm glad you like the chapters with his mam. I enjoy writing them. And, don't worry about the baby. I have absolutely no plans to do that. I know exactly what the sex is and what it'll be called. All will be well with Jazzrome baby, I promise :) Anyways, on with the story (pun completely intended xD) This is the start of a 5 part sub plot :)**

 **Collapse**

There was no choice. They all needed to be there. All of them. Stephen and Rory had been apprehensive about both of them being out on the same call at the same time. Regina needed somebody. They didn't want to risk something happening to both of them. But there was no choice. Callum and Boo had been in together to take care of this one but they couldn't manage it. It was too unstable, too quick, too dangerous. They had tried again and had taken Freddie with them. Again, it was too much for them to handle. They need Rory and Stephen too. Stephen offered to come with them and have Rory stay at home with Regina but there was no way she was having him come out here without a terminus. When he wasn't with her, he would use Boos or Callums but they had them now and Rory wasn't about to let Stephen walk in here unarmed. She had offered to go and have Stephen stay at home with Regina but Stephen wasn't going with it. Ghosts, he knew she could handle fine but this one was something Boo, Callum and Freddie couldn't handle together. That meant it was bad and Stephen wanted to be there to protect her. In the end, they decided to face it as a group like they always had, in the hope that, like always, they'd all get each other through it. So Rory had called Jerome and Jazza, calmly explained the situation and, when they had arrived at Goodwin's Court to babysit Regina, the squad headed out to the sounds of "be careful" coming from Jerome and Jazza. It was mid morning and the March daylight beamed down on them.

The team crept silently though the empty building. Splitting up was not an option this time. They were all sticking together. Boo had a terminus as did Callum so Freddie always made sure she was by one of them at all times. Rory gripped Stephens hand tightly. She could feel her breathing coming short and quick as they searched the building. She thought of Regina at home and wanted nothing more than to be cuddled up on the couch next to Stephen, watching a movie while their daughter played on the play mat beside them. She smiled gently at the thought and kept it in her mind as her footsteps echoed through the empty corridors.

No one dared talk. The only sounds were the shuffling of feet as the team moved through the building and the sharp, alert breathing of the five shades. They came to a closed double door and Stephen looked around at them all. They wordlessly agreed to go through. He let go of Rory's hand but their fingers lingered together for as long as possible before he pushed open the doors. They stepped into a cafeteria but all of the tables and chairs had been put away. The only thing that told Rory that it was a cafeteria was the old food bar at the back of the room. Without the tables and chairs, it was a wide open space. They all walked to the centre of the room before Stephen turned to look at them. There were doors at different ends of the room. "Ok," he whispered. "Boo, Freddie, peek through that door. Don't go through. If you think there's anything of interest, we'll go through together. Callum, you do the same with that door. Me and Rory will look over here. No one leave this room and stay in sight of each other."

They all nodded and walked in their directions. Rory breathed deeply and walked with Stephen to the final door. As Stephen walked, a shadow caught Rory's eye and she stopped. But when she turned to look, she could see nothing. She stood paralysed for a moment before her senses came back to her and she turned back toward Stephen. As she walked to close the gap that had grown between them, she heard Callum call out. "Christ almighty!"

Both she and Stephen whipped their heads to the side and saw Callum on the floor, pushing himself upright. Everything seemed to start moving too fast for Rory to keep up. Before she understood how, Boo and Freddie were running towards Callum and helping him up while Callums terminus, which had skidded across the floor, was being picked up by Stephen. She looked in the direction of where Callum had walked and saw a tall man in overalls lumbering toward them. He was angry, grey and very dead. His head suddenly turned toward Stephen and Rory felt a wave of panic. He was quick, too quick, and suddenly Stephen went from standing upright to being on the floor. _No!_ She thought. "Hey!"

Both the ghost and Stephen looked to her and she swallowed hard. _Shit_. Suddenly, Stephen was pulling himself off of the ground and Boo was making a beeline straight for the ghost, her terminus out. He looked at Boo briefly and Rory took her chance. This ghost was too quick for Boo, she knew that instinctively, but now it was distracted. She quickly threw a look to Stephen, who was standing once more, and saw that he was about to call out. _No, darling. It needs to be me. I'm the only terminus strong enough._ She wasn't going to let anyone else get hurt. She held out her hand and, in a few strides, she grabbed the ghosts arm.

She wasn't expecting it. She really wasn't. It had hurt before but never, _never_ , like this. This was too much. Deep down, she knew this was too much for her to handle. Deep down, she truly believed she wouldn't get through this. The pain ripped through her entire body. Every inch of her felt like it was on fire. It was pain like she had never felt before. Even childbirth had been more bearable than this. She tried to scream but no sound came from her throat. All she could do was pray that it would end soon. She felt weak and was getting weaker even as the pain abated. The light that dominated her vision eventually cleared and the ghost was gone. She gasped loudly, desperately trying to draw air back into her lungs. Her eyes were stinging and her cheeks were wet and she only just realised that the pain had caused her to cry. She saw Stephen standing a few steps away from her, his face contorted with fear and worry. He must have seen her reaction, must've realised that it had hurt her like never before. She struggled to stay standing and looked at him helplessly. Her vision was blurring again, Stephen becoming faint as a darkness crept into her line of sight. She briefly wondered if he would be the last thing she ever saw, if this was the thing that would kill her. It certainly felt like it. She certainly believed it. She tried to say his name even as her last reserves of energy fled her body but her voice was nothing but a strained whisper. "Stephen..."

Her legs crumbled beneath her as her eyes closed. She couldn't find the strength to open them again no matter how hard she tried. She braced herself for the impact with the floor but felt arms catch her instead. She knew those arms. They had held her so many times. She heard Stephen calling her name, begging her to wake up but she couldn't. Her eyes wouldn't open. And then a strangely pleasant relaxation swept over her body and she felt herself fall away from the world. Stephens voice became weaker and she knew she was slipping deeper into unconsciousness. _Perhaps this is what death is_ , she thought. She tried one final time to open her eyes but to no avail. _Take care of our daughter, Stephen._ And then Stephens voice disappeared completely as her body gave in to the urge to let go.

* * *

Stephen cradled Rory where he'd caught her. She was limp in his arms and her head had fallen back. The only thing that told Stephen that she was still alive was the gentle movement of her chest. He rearranged himself so that she was lying more comfortably in his arms even though he knew she couldn't feel anything. An air of urgency had descended on the team. Stephens voice was shaking and desperate and it was obvious to everyone that he was close to tears. "Rory? Sweetheart, please wake up. Wake up. Darling, please. Rory... Come on, sweetheart. Please wake up. _Please_."

He looked down at her as she lay in his arms, her face peaceful and relaxed in a sharp contrast to the pain that had overwhelmed it mere seconds ago. He had never seen a termination hurt her like that. Yes, he had seen some hurt her but never to that degree. He prayed he would never see her in that much pain again. But mostly, he prayed that she would wake up. Callum was pacing hard behind him. Freddie and Boo were deadly still.

Freddie spoke quickly. "We need to get her a hospital."

Callum chuckled darkly. "And tell them what? 'Hi, our friend needs help. She terminated a ghost and it was quite a violent termination and now she won't wake up and we don't know what's wrong with her. Can you help?' We'd be carted off to an asylum."

Stephen inhaled and exhaled shakily as he listened to what was happening behind him. Freddie spoke again. "Well we have to do something."

"What about Dr Marigold?" Boo suggested.

"Yes," Stephen said quickly. He didn't look around to them. His attention was fixed sorely on Rory. "We take her to Marigold. She knows about Rory's ability. If Marigold can't help we take her to hospital. We just tell them she collapsed and we don't know why."

"Right," Callum said.

Stephen forced himself to take charge of the situation. Rory needed his help. He needed to lead or she could... _Please God, no_. He couldn't bring himself to even think the word so he didn't. He acted instead. He took one of her arms and put it around his neck and then, with one arm securely around her middle and one under her legs, he lifted her off of the ground. "Let's go."

He carried her out to the car, the others following behind him quickly. "Callum, you drive. Freddie, you're in the front with him. Phone Marigold, tell her what's happened and that we're on our way. Phone Thorpe, explain the situation and where we're going, then phone Jerome. He and Jazza will need to stay with Gina for a while longer and they need to know that. Break the news carefully. We don't want to cause Jazza too much stress, not in her condition. Boo, you come with me in the back. We'll take care of Rory. Can you get the door?"

Boo acted fast, opening the back of the car for Stephen before running around to the other side and opening her door. She climbed into her side and helped Stephen place Rory in the back. He got in beside her and sat her as carefully as possible between himself and Boo. Her head gently fell against his shoulder and he put an arm around her protectively. He could feel her gentle breathing against him and he took comfort in the fact that she still breathed. "Hold on, sweetheart," he whispered to her. "Stay with me." Callum turned on the sirens so that he could get to Marigolds as quickly as possible. The car sped off down the street.


	8. Meanwhile

**Meanwhile**

Jerome watched Jazza as she sat on the play mat with Regina. He leant against the doorway of the living room and listened for the kettle boiling in the kitchen. He smiled gently as he watched how natural she was with children. She would be an amazing mother, he knew it. He couldn't wait for the day that they'd be able to play with their own child like that. He grinned to himself as he thought about it. She looked up at him and smiled widely. The kettle boiled at that moment and he threw a look to the kitchen before retreating slowing through the door.

He smiled to himself and he walked through into the living room, humming to himself as he did so. He poured the water into the mugs and searched for a spoon. He opened and closed three drawers before he found where they were. _Seriously?_ He thought. _You'd think by now I'd know where they keep their spoons._ He stirred the teas as he felt his phone ring in his pocket. Perhaps that was Stephen or Rory saying they'd be home soon. He pulled his phone out and saw Freddie's name on the screen. He looked at it curiously for a second before answering.

"Hello?"

"Jerome, it's me."

His breath caught. Freddie's voice was shaky. She was worried about something. He cleared his throat. "Freddie, you sound worried. What's wrong?"

"It's Rory. We don't know what's wrong. She collapsed and she's not waking up. We're taking her to get help now."

He gasped and steadied himself against the counter. "Jesus..."

"I'm phoning because...hang on...Stephen wants you."

Jerome waited a few seconds and listened to the shuffling of the phone being handed over. Eventually, Stephens voice came through, urgent and quick. "Jerome?"

"Yeah, what's happening? What's wrong with Rory?"

"I don't know. I wish I did. Listen I-" Jerome heard Stephen sniff and take a breath - "I need you and Jazza to stay with Gina until someone else can get back to you."

"Ok."

"You know you're welcome to everything in the flat. I'm hoping someone can get back tonight but if we can't, you and Jazza are welcome to the bedroom. Gina's bedtime is at 7. She has formula made up in the fridge..." Stephens voice was giving way. "I'm sorry to ask this of you but-"

"No, it's ok," Jerome reassured him quickly. "Just get Rory some help."

"Believe me, I'm going to."

"And keep me updated."

"I will. And thank you again."

"No bother. I need to go tell Jaz."

"Ok, careful how you do it. Try not to stress her too much."

"I'll try."

"Ok, I have to go. Thank you."

"Yeah."

Jerome hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket. He took a few deep breaths before walking back to the living room, teas forgotten. He walked slowly, trying to process the information. Rory was hurt. She needed help. Stephen had sounded terrified on the phone and he had evidently been trying desperately not to cry. It was bad. Jerome knew it. But how would he break it to Jaz? He came back to the doorway and saw her still playing with Regina. He couldn't bring himself to smile. He walked in slowly and Jazza looked up at him. The smile dropped from her face when she saw his face clouded with worry.

"Jerome? What's the matter?"

He knelt down onto the mat gently. Regina giggled at him and he tried to smile at her. He couldn't. "Ok, don't panic, but we may need to stay here for a while longer."

Jazza narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I've just had Stephen on the phone. He's not sure they'll get back tonight and he asked if we could stay with Gina."

"Well of course we'll stay but what's the matter?"

He paused for a moment, unsure of how to say it. He took a deep breath. "It's Rory. She's been hurt. They're getting her some help now but they might not be home tonight."

Jazza's mouth parted slightly and her lip trembled. "What's wrong with her?"

"He doesn't know. All he knows is that she needs help and Gina needs someone to stay with her."

Jazza exhaled shakily. "Of course," she whispered. "I just... I just hope..." Her voice broke. "I just hope she's ok."

Jerome felt his bottom lip quiver and he took Jazzas hand. Regina giggled between them, oblivious to the problem. He bit his lip and prayed the Regina wouldn't lose her mother. "Me too." He inhaled deeply, trying to hold back the tears. "Me too."


	9. Thorpe

**AN: Ok, so here's part 3 of the 5 parter that started with Collapse. Parts 4 and 5 coming in a day or two :) Also, kind of flailing right now because Maureen tweeted me. Again xD**

 **Thorpe**

Paperwork. Paperwork everywhere. When he was a younger man training for the secret service, he'd imagined his life being a little bit more like James Bond movies. Spies, women, action. But it hadn't turned out that way. MI5 was exciting in its own way though. He could do pretty much anything with security if he wanted. He could get buildings unlocked, he could remove CCTV, he could make cover stories. He wasn't a spy, not in the way everyone imagined, but he still felt like one. Maybe he was his own version of James Bond.

He also had what was probably the strangest job in MI5. As the supervisor to the Shades, he had momentarily been a laughing stock. But he'd stood his ground and stuck by his family and he'd earned respect for that. Sure, people would walk past him in the corridor and make ghost noises at him now and again but he ignored it. That also tended to be why he didn't go to the Halloween parties, choosing instead to spend them with the team.

He sat back in his chair and glanced out of his office window over the streets of London. He was admiring the sunny March morning as his mobile began to ring. He turned back to his desk quickly. His office landline meant someone in the building or somewhere else official was phoning. But his mobile was always a Shade. He knew they were out on a call. He'd been the one to tell them about it. Old office building ready for refurbishment, workers being scared away by unseen entity. It had sounded like a simple job but he knew it hadn't been so. He knew they were all out there. He prayed hard that this phone call was just one of them phoning in with confirmation of termination and the safety of all involved. When he saw Freddie's name, he felt that something was wrong. The phone call almost always came from Stephen, sometimes from Callum.

He answered it on the third ring.

"Freddie."

"Thorpe, we have a problem."

"Explain."

"We got the ghost. He's gone. But Rory's..."

She paused and Thorpe stopped breathing for a moment. He had to prompt Freddie to make her continue. "Freddie?"

"Rory's been hurt. Badly. Like, _really_ badly. She was screaming, or at least she tried to and then she collapsed. We can't wake her up. We've tried everything. She's just not responding to us."

"How long has she been unconscious?"

"She's been out about...Erm..."

Thorpe faintly heard Stephen say 'about ten minutes' in background and Freddie repeated it down the phone. "About ten minutes."

"And where are you now?"

"On our way to Dr Marigolds."

"Right. I'll meet you there. I'll leave right now."

"Ok."

Thorpe hung up the phone and allowed himself to pause for a moment. He needed to be calm enough to drive. He sat forward over his desk and put his head in his hands. She would be fine. She _had_ to be. Rory always was. Even from the moment he met her in that hospital bed after her attack, he could tell she was strong. But he was scared. He had to admit that to himself. He didn't want to lose anyone. He ran his hands through his white hair, a feature too old for his face. He stood quickly and whipped his coat from where it hung on the wall and all but ran from the office. The lift took an eternity to arrive and when it finally did, it seemed to stop at every floor on the way down. Eventually, he made it out to his car and hauled himself in. He gunned the engine and pulled away from Thames House into the London traffic.


	10. Aftermath

**AN: Sorry that took so long again. I was away at the weekend and didn't get a chance to update. Ashley, I totally agree. Guys like that just make me want to kill someone. But Stephen is cute because he genuinely cares about her and wants to do right by her and ugh. He's just perfect. And yeah, Twitter pisses me off too. That's why I just check on the celebs I like and nothing else. Although, at the minute, there are some funny memes about our Prime Minister that make it worth it. But yeah, books are better. Anyway, the Maureen stories: First time it happened, she tweeted about having Gemman copies of the Shades books and I tweeted saying that I love the series so much I'd sell my soul for them even thought I don't speak German. She tweeted back with "whoa." The second time, I found an article about Londons most haunted tube stations and I tweeted it saying that it made me want to reread Shades again and I tagged her twitter handle in it. At the end I said "everyone go read them. Now." Maureen retweeted that and said "you heard her." xD Oh god, I certainly hope she doesn't! Hahaha I think I would die if she ever read these.**

 **Aftermath**

When they got to Marigolds, Stephen manoeuvred Rory from the back of the car into his arms once more. She met them outside and ushered them into her living room. As Stephen carried Rory inside, he looked down at her still peaceful face. It looked as though she was sleeping although it was possible that she was dying even as he held her. He carried Rory in and placed her down on the couch softly. When he had done that, he realised that his knees were shaking and, before he could stop himself, he dropped to the floor beside her, all the strength that he had managed to find to bring her here leaving him. He took her hand in his and kissed the back of it before he held it to his cheek. It was still warm and her chest still moved.

His whispered to her, his voice breaking as he did so. "I'm sorry, Rory. I keep failing you."

Thorpe arrived minutes later, rushing into Marigold's living room. Stephen turned to look at him in time to see his face pale at the sight of Rory. Callum took him aside to explain what had happened in detail. Marigold had quickly determined that Rory needed a hospital but that she would come with them to liaison with the hospital staff. Then she had phoned the ambulance.

The ambulance seemed to take forever to arrive. All the while, Rory lay on the couch where Stephen had put her and Stephen knelt by her side where he had fallen. He moved only to let Dr Marigold examine her and even then, he was glued to her. Callum paced the room fretfully while Thorpe sat on the armchair watching Rory closely. Freddie watched nervously while Boo started to cry a little. Callum had gone over to her and Stephen thought he heard her say that it was "just like back in Maida Vale." He closed his eyes as he took in those words. _So this is what you went through, my darling? When I wouldn't wake up..._

When the ambulance finally arrived, the paramedics made a quick check of Rory. They established that she was not on the coma scale and that her unconsciousness was due to something akin to extreme, _very extreme_ , exhaustion. Stephen allowed himself a small sigh of relief. At least it wasn't her brain. They allowed him to accompany her in the ambulance once he told them he was her husband while the others had followed behind in Thorpe's car.

Hour after hour, he paced the waiting room. The others sat around nervously and didn't try to stop him. Stephen needed to pace so they let him do so. He tried to think of what to do if he lost her knowing full well that he wouldn't cope. But he would have to cope. They had a six month old daughter at home. How would he explain it when she was older? How would he explain to Regina that her mother was dead because her father had failed to protect her like he promised? He stopped pacing abruptly and ripped his glasses from his face, pinching the bridge of his nose to hold back the tears. No, he could break now. He had to be strong for Rory. He hadn't lost her yet.

When a nurse had finally come to tell them that she was settled, Stephen had all but ran to her room, the others following behind. Now he sat on the chair by the hospital bed as the others talked around him. He was aware of voices but he couldn't hear the words. He was too focussed on Rory. He watched over her and listened to the steady rhythm of the heart monitor. He held her hand tightly, silently telling her that he was here with her. He wondered if this is what she had felt all the times he was in hospital. He thought about her sitting by his bedside, holding his hand and listening to his heart monitor. He swallowed hard as he thought about how she must have felt when they had all decided to turn off his life support, how she must have felt when they thought it best to let him go, when his heart monitor slowed and then stopped. He looked up to hers and saw the jagged lines of her heartbeat. He prayed they wouldn't stop.

He sighed and brought her hand back to his lips once more, placing yet another gentle kiss on the back. Perhaps she would feel it. Perhaps she would know he was there. He whispered against her hand. "Please don't leave me..."

The door opened silently and he heard the noise in the room stop. Everyone had stopped talking. The only sound that remained was the heart monitor. Stephen looked around to the door and saw Marigold with a doctor from the hospital. From the look of the second doctor, Stephen guessed that Marigold had just made him sign a copy of the Official Secrets Act. The doctor kept glancing nervously at Marigold.

"Doctor?" Thorpe prompted.

With one final look to Marigold, the doctor turned to face everyone else in the room. His speech was hesitant, as if he didn't quite know what to say. "Aurora appears to be suffering from...well, it's very difficult to say really. I've never seen anything like it. It's almost like she's being exposed to a great deal of...how should I put it? Energy...too much for her body to handle. She's ok for the now, she'll survive but...I'm afraid that if she suffers this for much longer...she _will_ die. There is no doubt of that. She was incredibly lucky to survive whatever happened to her this time. But it must stop or it will kill her."

The words cut through Stephen like a knife. His blood ran cold and his heart caught in his chest. He forced himself to breath slowly. She would live. She was going to live. That was the important thing. Right here, right now, she would live _._ She would wake up, he would take her home to Regina, he would keep her safe and _she would live_. Dr Marigold spoke crisply. "Thank you doctor. I'll take it from here."

With one last look of annoyance, he left the room. Marigold turned to face the team. Thorpe cleared his throat. "I think we all heard the same thing."

"It's killing her." Stephen spoke quietly but the whole room heard it. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"Perhaps," Marigold said.

"Well it has to stop, yeah?" Boo said. "We can't keep using her as a terminus if it's killing her. We just can't."

Stephen realised he was shaking. He had failed her. _Again_. He lay her hand back down on the bed and laid his head down beside it. He bit back the tears. _I promised to protect you..._

He took a deep breath. He was on edge. He could feel himself losing his calm. He vaguely heard Callum behind him. "Obviously we have to stop. This is Rory we're talking about. Gotta say though... I'm not alright about being one terminus down."

Stephen sat up and turned his head slightly in Callums general direction. "Well, you're gonna have to be alright," he snapped. He grimaced to himself when he realised he'd snapped. He just wasn't coping.

Callum inhaled sharply behind him. He spoke cautiously. "Mate, I didn't mean-"

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. I'm just..." He couldn't find the rest of the sentence.

"Yeah, mate. I get it."

"Let's just all stay calm, yeah?" Boo said softly. "It's gonna be fine. She's ok. She's gonna be fine. We can cope fine with two termini."

"Really?" Marigold asked. "There are five active members of this team. How will you cope with only two termini?"

"We'll find a way," Stephen replied darkly, not even turning around.

"Of course we will," Freddie agreed. "Like Boo said, everything will be fine."

"But she is useful to the team as a terminus," Marigold argued.

"She's useful to the team regardless of that," Callum countered. "She's our friend. No...she's our family. We're not taking the risk."

"But if there was-"

Stephen cut her off sharply. He had failed to protect her from the Ripper. He had failed to protect her from Jane, Sid and Sadie. He was damned if he was going to fail to protect her now. "We're not taking the risk."

"But if I could come up with something that _might_ help her-"

"You don't get it do you?!" He stood quickly, whipping around to face her, his voice growing louder. "She isn't just a stone to be used! She's a _person_ , a beautiful young woman who deserves nothing but the best, someone we love and care about. How dare you stand there and talk about risking her life as if she was _nothing?!_ " He half screamed in frustration and dropped down on the side of the bed sighing gentle, half-formed sobs. He needed to stay calm for Rory's sake. He took Rory's hand again and looked down at her sleeping form.

Everyone looked around to each other slowly. After a couple of minutes of silence, Marigold raised her hands in a calming motion. "Stephen, I don't want to upset you but you're a member of the Shadow Cabinet. You know how valuable she is to them-"

" _Screw the Shadow Cabinet!_ " He fought hard not to scream as he looked up to Marigold darkly. He squeezed Rory's hand gently. _I will protect you, Rory_. He exhaled slowly but his voice still had a dark edge. "I won't let you risk her life. For us or for them, duties be damned. I can't... _can't_ live without her. Don't you _dare_ ask me to. I _need_ my wife. _My daughter needs her mother."_

Marigold stared at him and Stephen stared back. He meant every word. Everyone watched nervously as the scene unfolded. Thorpe stepped forward toward Stephen and placed a hand on his shoulder. His voice was calm despite the tension in the room. "I think the best course of action would be to let Rory decide. When she wakes up, we'll take her home, rest her up and explain the situation. Then she can make an informed decision. Are we all in agreement?"

Stephen closed his eyes. Of course that was what they should do. It had always been her choice. He heard murmurs of agreement sound around the room. She wouldn't continue. He knew that even as he sat there. She wouldn't continue with the sure knowledge that she would die. They could make it work with two termini. He knew it.

"Stephen?"

Thorpe's voice brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up to Thorpe and nodded gently.

"Right," Thorpe said. "It's settled. Rory will decide."

Stephen exhaled gently, his breath shaking as he did so. He squeezed her hand. _And whatever decision you make, I'll be there for you._


	11. Decision

**Final part of the five part subplot that started with Collapse :)**

 **Decision**

The office was quiet as they sat. For a moment, it was possible to hear a pin drop. But then Regina blew a raspberry and broke the silence. Rory had her close as she sat on her lap, gently bouncing her on her knee. Stephen sat by her side, close to her, with his body turned in her direction. Across the table, Boo, Callum and Freddie shared the other couch while Thorpe sat perched in the armchair. Marigold stood by the door of the office. She wasn't in everyone's good books so she stayed separate.

Rory thought about what she had just been told. _I could've died._ She believed it. She remembered the feeling. It felt like she was dying. She thought she was. _I_ will _die if it keeps going_. They had explained what had happened and what the doctor had said. Stephen told her that it was her choice to make and that, whatever she decided, he would support her but that didn't mean he had to like it. She smiled when he said that. She understood what he meant. If she chose to keep going as a terminus, he wouldn't agree with her but he'd back her up regardless. She loved him for that. She could make the wrong choice and he'd be there for her because he respected her decision. But there wasn't a choice. She wouldn't keep doing it. There was no question. She had thought she wouldn't see Regina grow up, thought she'd never meet Jazza and Jerome's little one, thought she wouldn't see Boo and Callum get married. When she had blacked out, she had genuinely believed that it was the end. She had genuinely believed that Stephen was the last thing she'd ever see, that his voice was the last thing she'd ever hear. But it hadn't been. She had woken up in hospital to Stephen glued by her side. She had cried when she saw him, relieved that she had woken up. He had cried too. There had been hugs, kisses and tears. Then he had brought her home and it all happened again when she saw Regina. But then had come the hard part. They had to tell her the truth. And now they'd told her.

She had made her choice. Now she had to tell everyone. She looked to Stephen first. She spoke clearly so everyone could hear her. "Stephen, when we first discovered what I was, you told me that it was up to me how I used it. That it was my decision. You promised me that no one would force me to use it."

He nodded. "That promise is as true now as it was then."

She looked at him with wide eyes and nodded. Then she turned to face the group. "I'm not doing it anymore."

She saw the nods of acknowledgement from all the group coupled with small smiles. She could tell they all thought she'd made the right decision. She heard the clear sigh of relief from Stephen. He scooted closer still and put his arm around her. She nestled into him, still holding Regina on her lap and she decided that this was how it would stay. Nothing could convince her to give up the family that she made, nothing would convince her to continue being a terminus if it meant her death.

She closed her eyes and smiled, relieved that that hadn't been as painful as it could've been. She heard Thorpe talk, his voice calm but with a surprising sharpness. She snapped her eyes open and saw everyone's heads turn to him. "This is a family, Marigold. Look at them."

Rory turned her head to Marigold. She was frowning and her mouth was parted slightly. She had clearly been about to say something. Thorpe continued. "Rory has made her choice. It's her ability and her decision is final. She's decided to stop so that is the end of the conversation. Is that clear, Marigold?"

Everyone turned to Marigold. "Crystal." She nodded once, turned on her heel and left the building. Rory released the breath she had been holding. Once Marigold had gone, everyone started to smile.

"Good choice, Rory," Boo said.

"I agree," Freddie added.

Stephen kissed the top of her head. There weren't enough words to express his relief and she knew that the tiny little gesture he just did conveyed it all. She looked across to Callum. "I'm sorry Callum. I know you liked having as many termini as possible."

Callum smiled at her gently. "I like having termini but I'd rather have my sister alive and well. I agree with your choice, Ror."

She smiled at him and held out her hand. He took it across the table and gave it a squeeze. Thorpe stood with a smile. "Ok, so we're one termini down. That's ok," he added quickly. "We'll just figure out a new system. I suggest that each terminus be put somewhere accessible to all parties, perhaps here at the office. Then whoever is going out on call will be able to arm themselves. Rory, I believe there is a high risk taking you out in the field again. Though you may not use your power voluntarily, it does not guarantee it won't be used. There have been several occasions where a ghost has made contact with you and you've terminated them against your will. We cannot risk that happening. In everyday life, it should be fine as no ghost should wish to attack you but when faced with a potential threat, it may cause a problem. Do you agree with my assessment?"

She nodded gently. He continued. "May I suggest you take up a role as a researcher? And you can do the paperwork. That'll mean that you're still an active member of this team without you having to put yourself in danger."

Rory smiled at him. "I can do that."

He smiled back with a nod. "Good. That'll also solve who'll be staying with Gina because you'll be at home with her."

"See?" Stephen asked. "We can make it work."

A thought suddenly cross her mind and her breath hitched. "What about the Shadow Cabinet? I'm one of their stones, I'm-"

Stephen shook his head gently. "Let me worry about them. I'll take care of it. I promised you Rory. No one, _no one_ , will force you to do anything. You've made your choice and no one will make you change it. I swore that to you then and I swear it to you now."

She smiled as she nestled back into him. Regina began babbling random sounds on her lap and she began bouncing her knee again softly. Stephen lay his head on hers and she heard Boo say she'd put the kettle on. Perhaps everything would work out in the end after all. Perhaps they could be normal.


	12. Good News

**AN: Don't worry, I'm still alive. I know it's been a few days since my last update but things have been hectic. Ashley, I have a couple of things to say. Firstly, Loveaholic is killing me. But I've nearly got my seventh ending down and I still have 58 hours to get the black dress. I'll do it if it kills me. Secondly, you wouldn't even believe what happened between me and Maureen on tumblr! I'm still dying. Ok, so a couple of weeks back, I spent four and a half hours making a The Name of the Star fan made movie trailer and I put it on my blog. A few days ago, I noticed that it had got a lot of attention and I nearly died when I found out why. Maureen had reblogged it onto her blog and said "okay, make the rest of the movie please I liked this." I'm still flailing all over the place. Suddenly, four and a half hours of searching for the perfect movie clips to throw together was worth it because Maureen liked it. She had also reblogged a Stephen/Rory edit I had made. Literal dying ensued. Phew, that's enough rambling. I just had to share that story. I shall let you read now.**

 **Good news**

The sun shone down on the rain sodden streets of London. _Yep, that seems about right_ , she thought. _Rain and sun. England._ Freddie almost skipped down the street towards the Waterloo flat. The smile on her face was wide and bright and she knew that the start of the day would make the rest of it good. She couldn't wait to tell Boo and Callum. After all, they had asked to be kept updated. It hadn't been an easy two months but it was worth it. Everything would be ok.

She didn't even mind when a small drizzle started up again and laughed as she spun around in the rain. She stood there for a moment letting herself get wet while the people rushed by her. By the time she got back to the flat, the sun was in the sky once more. _English weather_ , she thought. _Gotta love it_. She opened the front door of the flat and pulled her coat off, hanging it on the door of her bedroom to dry. Boo and Callum emerged from the kitchen with a cup of coffee each.

"Love," Callum started, "if we knew you were on your way home, we'd have made you a cup."

Freddie waved it off. "Nah, you're alright."

"So," Boo questioned, "how did it go?"

Freddie's smile only widened. "We're fine. Emily just needed a break. She actually missed me. And I explained that, because of what I do, there was a part of my life that had to stay secret but that she owned the other part entirely along with my heart. I was very romantic. She accepted that."

"So you're not breaking up?" Boo asked hopefully.

Freddie shook her head. "No, we're not breaking up. In fact, I'm spending the night at hers. We have two months worth of catching up to do."

Callum furrowed his eyebrows. "I thought that was what you were doing this morning?"

Boo laughed. "I think she means the _other_ kind of catching up, yeah?"

"What other kind?"

Freddie raised her eyebrows at him and, after a moment, he nodded in realisation.

"Ahh I see. Mate, it's 10am and I haven't finished my first coffee yet. I'm not functioning. And besides, it's just us. Why didn't you just say 'sex'?"

"Because, my non-functioning fiancé," Boo said, "women are a little bit classier than you blokes."

"Hey," Callum laughed. "I know some very unclassy women."

He laughed as he sat himself down on the couch. "But in all seriousness love, I'm really happy things are ok with Emily."

Freddie smiled as she walked over to the armchair. "Thanks."

"So what time are you heading back over to hers?" Boo asked.

"Well, she finishes work at 5 so sometime near 6."

"You'll have the whole evening together," Callum added.

"Yeah. I've missed her so much. Everything about her. Her smile, her laugh...sorry I'm rambling a bit."

Boo laughed. "Don't be sorry. It's sweet. Anyway, it'll give you plenty of time to catch up on that two months." She raised her eyebrows suggestively and Freddie giggled.

"Careful, or Callum will end up imagining it."

He pulled a mock face. "I wouldn't. Besides, I have no idea what she looks like."

"She's about my height and has the most beautiful auburn hair and green eyes."

Callum nodded. "Ok, I'm imagining it a _little_ bit."

Boo hit his arm playfully. "That's not very classy."

"Well that's ok. After all, us blokes aren't as classy as you women."

Freddie and Boo laughed at that as Freddie leant back into the cushions of the armchair and threw her legs over the arms.

"Have you let Rory and Stephen know that everything's ok?" Boo asked.

"Yeah, I phoned them before. They're happy for me."

"Quick question," Callum said. "How long have you and Emily been together now?"

"Emm...well we started dating just before Stephen proposed to Rory so...nearly three years."

"Nearly three years and we've never met the woman?" Callum said.

"Well it's difficult. I would love if you all met her but...I need to keep this bit of my life separate from the bit I share with her. For the now. Otherwise, things are gonna get real complicated real fast."

"Don't worry about it," Boo said. "I'm sure we'll get to meet her one day without it being difficult."

"I promise you will meet her one day," Freddie said. She smiled as she thought about the woman she loved. "Because I intend to spend the rest of my life with her."


	13. A Good Day

**A Good Day**

 _ **Rated M (sexual content)**_

Rory lay on the couch dozing soundly. She had intended to just lay her head down for a brief minute but the sounds of Stephen making tea in the kitchen and Regina giggling as she played on her play mat soothed her to the point of sleep. _Normal family life_ , she had thought as she listened. Her daughter beside her, her husband in the kitchen. Normal.

She wasn't planning on making much of the day. She didn't want a fuss. Honestly, all she wanted was some cards - which she had gotten, some time with everyone and then some time with Stephen alone. Jazza and Jerome had already agreed to take Regina for the night. It was good practise for them and a break for Rory and Stephen. As much as she couldn't wait for a good nights sleep, she knew she was going to miss Regina like mad even though it was only for one night. But she figured that she deserved it. It was her birthday, after all.

As so often happened, it was while she was thinking that she dozed off. She couldn't remember what her last thought had actually been - perhaps it was how happy she was or maybe it was what she was going to ask Stephen tonight, or rather how she was going to ask it - but whatever it had been, it had completely left her head by the time she felt a strand of her hair being tucked behind her ear and Stephens lips pressing a soft kiss on her forehead. She smiled without opening her eyes, particularly when he heard him kneel down on the play mat with Regina, talking in that adorable baby voice he always used for her. He was quiet though, careful not to wake his dozing wife.

She began to think again and as she did so, felt the pleasant pull of sleep once more. While she considered the urge to let sleep take her, she decided against it. It was her birthday. She should maybe be awake for it. She opened her eyes slightly and let her gaze fall to her two dark haired darlings on the play mat. Stephen sat cross legged facing Regina, smiling brightly and joining in with her games. Regina sat facing her father, babbling as she patted his arm and took the toy he held. The shock of black hair she shared with Stephen had fallen out mere days after her birth seven months previously but now it had started to grow back. She was going to look like her father.

She closed her eyes again as she yawned and stretched before pushing herself up into a seated position. As she opened her eyes again, she saw Stephen standing and walking toward her. She smiled at him sleepily as he sat on he couch next to her. She pulled her legs up under her and nestled against him, sighing contently as she did so. His arm slid around her and caressed her arm. She yawned again. "How long was I asleep?"

"Just a few minutes," he replied.

"Well, I guess I need every moment of sleep possible," she said teasingly. "I mean, I am 22. I'm getting old."

He chuckled against her. "If you're old, then God help me. I'm nearly 24. Callum and Boo are nearly 25."

"I know. 5 years short of 30. Ancient."

"Don't let Boo hear you say that."

They both giggled. Stephen continued in a feather light voice. "So do you have anything particular planned for the day?"

She bit her lip. "Well, actually, I was wondering if later on, when Jaz and Jerome take Gina for the night, you would...be willing to...indulge...a little fantasy of mine?"

She kept her eyes on the wall with a faint smile as she felt his head turn to look down at her. "Together all is time and you still have a fantasy I don't know about?"

Her smile grew a little wider. "It's not much of a fantasy. In fact, it's nearly reality. Just a little... twist, a _pleasant_ twist, on something that's already happened."

She turned her head upward toward him slightly and saw him smiling curiously. She smiled at him too, but an innocent smile. He nodded his head. "My darling, you know I would happily indulge any fantasy. Anyway...it sounds like fun."

She smiled at him again before sitting up and kissing him softly.

"Hmmmmm," he murmured against her lips. "I forgot to check the post. I'll be right back."

"Ok."

He stood and walked from the room with a final smile and she heard his footsteps descend the stairs. Rory leant back into the cushions of the couch with a content smile as she watched Regina with her teddy bears. She listened as Stephen footsteps came back up the stairs. He came back into the living room with a single piece of mail. "For one Mrs Aurora Dene," he said as he handed her the envelope. "I think it might be a card."

Rory grinned at him as she took the envelope and opened it. She pulled out the birthday card inside and smiled at the front design. " _For a special daughter-in-law on your birthday._ "

Rory looked up to Stephen as he cleared some things from the table. "It's from your mom." Stephen looked across at her and smiled when she showed him the front of the card. "Yeah, she said she was going to send one."

"That's nice of her," Rory said she she opened the card. Another envelope fell out and Rory picked it up from the couch curiously. She quickly read the handwritten message inside the card before looking back to the second envelope. It felt like there was something inside.

"No, Gina, sweetheart. Don't chew on your toys."

Rory heard Stephen gently take a toy away from Regina. "I think she's going to start teething very soon," he said.

"Yeah," she said as she opened the second envelope and pulled out the contents. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened when she read out loud the small note that came with the rest of the contents. "I didn't know what you would like so here's the money instead." She quickly counted the money as Stephen walked back over. "Oh my god...Stephen, your moms sent me £100!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, sounds like mum alright."

"I can't accept this, it's too much!"

"Darling, my family has money. She can afford the treat her daughter-in-law on her birthday. Besides, she won't take it back."

Rory bit her lip and smiled softly. "I'll phone her later on to thank her."

* * *

The others had come around mid afternoon to celebrate with her. Rory had spoke excitedly with Jazza about the latters upcoming scan with Rory telling Jazza how emotional it is to see your baby for the first time. When the evening came, they dispersed separately. Thorpe made his way back to Thames house half an hour before Callum, Boo and Freddie departed for their Waterloo home. Jazza and Jerome left last with Regina with promises that she would be fine and would be brought back safe and sound in the morning. Rory had cried a little even though she would only be parted from her daughter for a single night but safe in the knowledge that she was in capable hands. Stephen eventually calmed her. They both sat on the couch as they had earlier with a movie and a bottle of wine, appreciating the quiet around them. When the movie finished, Rory looked up at Stephen with a smirk. "Stephen?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember earlier when I mentioned a fantasy?"

He smirked back. "Indeed."

She smiled up at him seductively and he chuckled. "Tell me what I need to do."

"Well, all you need to do is go upstairs, put your uniform on and then come back down here."

He laughed. "What?"

"Trust me. It'll be fun."

"Okay." He stood.

"Oh and bring down some condoms."

He chuckled. "Okay." He took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it before leaving the room and going up to their bedroom.

Rory stood and walked over to one of the cupboards where she had earlier placed her own outfit for the evening. She smirked to herself as she dressed in her old Wexford uniform, biting her lip softly as she put on the tie, remembering when Stephen had gagged her with it. She put on the new, white, lacy, knee high socks and the black stilettos she had bought to make her old school uniform a little sexier before she waited for him to come back down. She eventually heard his footsteps on the stairs and he chuckled as he walked in in full police uniform. "What are you-"

"Well, you see, like I said earlier, this little fantasy is just a pleasant twist on an actual event."

She walked towards him as seductively as possible. "And we both still have what we wore back then." She stopped in front of him and ran her hands slowly up his chest on onto his shoulders as she spoke. "So let's imagine. I'm 17 years old, the only witness in the Ripper case and you're the 19 year old police officer assigned to protect me. After a month of my help, you catch and terminate the Ripper with no difficulties and you've fallen _madly_ in love with me. You come to inform me of your success and find me in the Hawthorne common room, still in my uniform. No one else is around and" - she stepped away and sat down invitingly on the couch - "you can't help but ravish me right there on the couch of the common room, all the desire you'd been holding back during the case finally unleashed."

She watched the smile form on his face as his breathing grew heavier. He stalked towards her slowly. "Well, since we're in the common room, I think it would be wise to make this my first move." He knelt down in front of her and kissed her as he teasingly undid her tie, pulling it from around her neck. She smiled into the kiss as she realised what he was doing. When they broke the kiss, she opened her mouth for him. "After all," he said once he had gagged her, "we can't have anybody hearing us can we?"

She shook her head in answer, her eyes heavy with lust. Stephen ran both his hands up her legs as he leant forward to kiss her neck. She sighed against the tie as his fingers hooked under the waistband of her knickers and pulled them off over the socks and shoes. Her breathing grew heavier as his mouth moved from her neck down her clothed body. He pushed her skirt further up and parted her legs, spreading them wide. "And think about this," his voice was a husky whisper. "We have the power to get into Wexford when it's closed. The summer holidays are coming up. We could do this again, in uniform like we are now, but we wouldn't need to pretend that our living room is the common room." He lowered his head between her legs as she groaned against her gag, his hands holding her legs open. "We could do this in the _actual common room._ "

His tongue darted out and licked her pussy quickly and she moaned against the tie loudly, the feeling of his tongue and the idea of doing this in the actual common room almost too good to bear. His licks became slower and more powerful, sending overwhelming waves of pleasure through her whole body. She gave herself over to the feeling, enjoying how naughty she felt knowing that she was about to have sex with her husband in her old school uniform. Her hands gripped his hair tightly as his mouth moved around her pussy, devouring her as if he was a dying man and only she could quench his thirst. Her legs spasmed as her orgasm neared but his strong arms kept them spread wide, keeping her open for him as his long fingers massaged her clit. She couldn't cope anymore and she came hard and fast, her body arching to him before her body relaxed.

Seconds after her orgasm had passed, Stephen quickly removed the gag and kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth. She moaned against him as she tasted herself on his tongue and lips. As he kissed her, his slid two fingers inside of her and she groaned into his mouth. He broke the kiss as he removed his fingers and brought them to her lips, sliding them into her mouth. "Go on, have a proper taste of yourself."

She groaned around his fingers as she sucked them, making a mental note to do the exact same thing to his cock later. In fact, she decided that a blowjob was the first thing that was happening if they managed to get into Wexford over the summer. She sighed as he removed his fingers and he chuckled. "Don't pout my love. After all," he reached for a condom and she grinned, "we've only just started."


	14. Photo

**I LIVE! Hello all. My god, that took a while didn't it? That won't happen again. I just haven't had a spare second. Ashley, ew, creepy 45 year old stalkers = avoid like plague. Ew. And yes. Ben Whishaw (omg so very Stephen) is 35. But perfect. I love him. And I get such Stephen feels when I see him as Q. Honestly, I saw Spectre on opening night and every time he was one screen, I was just like *Stephen feels*. "Im riding Giles tonight." That is brilliant. Gosh, I do that all the time. I live 20 minutes outside of Newcastle and we have this little country bit between the city and where I live. It's sort of like a big park but a bit more foresty (new word) and it has a picnic area and a petting zoo and a river and it's absolutely lovely. Whenever I get the bus in, I pass it. Because it's in this sort of valley in Jesmond, it's called Jesmond Dene and whenever we go there on a day out, we say "shall we go down the Dene?" And I'm always like "I'll go down _on_ Dene" and only my sister gets it and she laughs. So, I totally understand that. Oh, and I'm glad you liked my trailer :D Anyways, enough of me rambling.**

 **Photo**

Jazza had been dying to show them the picture since the scan had finished. She remembered when Rory had shown her the scan of Regina and how excited she had been. Now it was her turn. She couldn't stop smiling the entire time Jerome drove and he was just the same. At every red light, they looked to each other with a smile. Jazza looked at the photo again. The baby was tiny, about the size of a peanut but it was their baby. Their son or daughter.

"Jerome..." She giggled and then laughed. She didn't need to finish her sentence. Jerome knew what she was thinking.

He giggled too. "I know."

Jazza sighed happily and let her head fall back against the car seat. "I cannot wait to show them. They're going to be so excited."

When they eventually got to Goodwins Court, Jerome parked the car on the street, near to the archway. He spied a police car nearby and nodded to it.

"Looks like they're home."

"Thank god. I can't wait much longer."

She walked briskly from the car and as she neared the door she typed in the code, burst through it and ran straight up the stairs excitedly. "Rory! Stephen!"

Jerome followed inside with smile on his face and shut the front door before following Jazza up the stairs. Jazza was, by that point, through the flat door. Both Rory and Stephen had heard her pounding up the stairs and Stephen was the first one out into the corridor. As the door flew open and Jazza saw him, he noticed the smile on her face and braced himself for impact. She flung her arms around him, almost knocking him over and he chuckled. "So," he said as he hugged her, "I take it the scan went fine."

"More than fine!"

As Rory came out from the living room holding Gina, Jerome came through the door. Stephen nodded to him over Jazzas shoulder before Jazza detached herself from Stephen and made her way to Rory. Stephen laughed as he clapped Jerome on the back. "She certainly seems excited."

"Wait till you see the photo Stephen. You can hardly see the baby but it doesn't make it any less..." He struggled to find the word.

"Perfect," Stephen finished for him.

Jerome nodded. "Perfect."

"Let me see the photo," Rory said to Jazza and both Stephen and Jerome turned to face the girls. Jazza was fumbling though her handbag and pulled out the photo, handing it to Rory.

"There."

Rory sighed with a smile and her eyes watered. "Oh my god Jaz. That's your baby."

"Yep. And this is yours." She gently bopped Regina on the nose as Rory held her.

"And," Rory continued, "our babies are going to be best friends. Like us."

"Like us," Jazza agreed. "Who'd have thought it? Us, mothers."

Rory laughed. "Who'd have thought it? You having a baby with Jerome. Do I remember asking if you and Jerome were a thing before me and him dated? And you said 'don't be disgusting?'"

Jazza chuckled. "Yeah, that happened. Things changed. I stopped being an idiot."

"You were never an idiot Jaz."

"May I see the photo?" Stephen asked from the doorway. They both looked over to him and Rory handed him the photo. Stephen smiled widely at it. "Beautiful. So, will you be finding out the sex at the next one? Or are you waiting till its born?"

"I can't wait," Jazza said. "I'm already too excited. And I really want to know if I'm having a boy or a girl."

"Well I can't wait to find out if I'm having a niece or a nephew so you'll have to tell me straight away," Rory said.

"Don't worry," Jerome said from the door. "You'll both be the first to find out."

"Ooooh!" Jazza said. "Is Boo here?"

"On call," Stephen responded.

"What's the deal this time?" Jerome asked.

"Ghost, underground. Pretty standard same old," Stephen said.

"You can wait here though," Rory said.

When they both said yes, Stephen nodded. "I'll put the kettle on."

He handed Jazza the photo back with a quick kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations love."

"Thanks Stephen." Jazza looked down at the photo again and stared at the little peanut shape. "I can't wait to meet you."


	15. Conflict

**Conflict**

Rory breathed in the air around her, pulling it into her lungs. Every breath she had had was gone, her lungs emptied by the screaming. Regina was with Callum, Boo and Freddie at Waterloo, the three of them taking the baby so that Rory and Stephen could enjoy the night fully. And it had been incredible. It always was and she was sure that the entire street had heard her screaming her husbands name. She couldn't help it. He was unbelievable. She lay with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. Her bare body was warm and limp and exhausted but it was the beautiful, euphoric exhaustion that only came after overwhelming sex with Stephen. As she lay there, her mind drifted back to the very first time she and Stephen had lain like this, after they had lost their virginities, four years ago to the day. During, it had been awkward, strange and they had giggled a lot from embarrassment and inexperience. Afterwards her body had been sore, tender and exhausted. But it was good kind of sore, the good kind of tender, the good kind of exhausted. They had gazed at each other, asked each other if they were ok, giggled some more, exchanged whispered "I love yous", and eventually a shower of small kisses turned into their second time. Stephen being her first had felt right and it had felt just as right being his first too. They were made for each other.

As she thought about it, she felt his lips press softly against her cheek and she turned her head slightly to catch his lips in hers for a gentle kiss, sighing against his mouth contently. She opened her eyes and saw Stephen smiling at her from above, his eyes gentle and heavy with sleep and love. He kept his face close to hers, nuzzling his nose against hers. Their voices were breathy whispers, both of them too worn out to speak any louder than that.

"Are you ok?" Stephen asked.

Rory chuckled. "Never better. You?"

"Deliriously happy."

He fell back onto his side. Somehow she found the energy to turn on her side too and craned her head towards him slightly. His lips closed around hers in another soft kiss. "Rory," he said when he broke it, his voice still a mere whisper, "you're so beautiful." She smiled at him as he lifted his hand and pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you."

She smiled again, her eyes growing heavy with sleep. "For what?"

"Staying in my life. You could've gotten out, gone home to America, lived a normal life but you stayed with me instead. Not only stayed, you married me. You had a child with me."

"Because I love you."

"And I love you. The past four and a half years I've known you have been the best of my life and the happiest. That September changed my life. And these past two we've been married have been so precious to me. Until I met you I was only surviving. You made me _live_ again." He took her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the back. "Happy anniversary, Rory."

She took her hand from his and placed it on his cheek. Everything seemed so perfect. Four years to the day since they became a couple, two since they had married. She was glad they'd chosen to marry on the same day they'd started dating. It meant that their anniversary wasn't just about their marriage. It was about them and everything they'd been through. "Happy anniversary, Stephen."

She nestled a little closer to him and his arm went around her middle, pulling her closer still. Their soft kisses were the only sound in the room until Stephens phone rang. He groaned quietly and pulled away. Rory watched him as he turned over to the bedside table to grab his phone. He held it close to his face so he could read who it was without the aid of his glasses and Rory immediately saw his eyes narrow with confusion. He answered the phone. "Mum?"

Rory sat up on her elbow slowly and listened carefully. She looked across to Stephens side of the bed and read the clock. Why was Diana phoning at 11pm?

"What!?"

She looked back to Stephen, concerned by his exclamation. His eyes were wide and his lips were slightly parted. His voice had gotten an air of urgency, his speech fragmented by the side of the conversation Rory couldn't hear.

"When?...yeah...are you ok?...well, I-I can't get there till morning now... I'll leave first thing tomorrow...t-try and sleep mum...yeah, I love you too. Night."

He hung up the phone and placed it down on the table automatically. Rory reached out and touched his arm. "Stephen? What's the matter?"

He looked down at her, his eyes full of concern and what looked like confusion. "My father's in hospital. He had a heart attack."

Rory immediately became alert and sat upright. Despite her hatred for the man, there was no escaping the fact that he was still her father-in-law. "Oh my god. Is he alright?"

"Mum says he's stable..." He looked like he was about to say something else but the words failed him. Rory gently pressed on. "How's your mom doing?"

Stephen nodded gently, his mind still in overload. "Worried but she seems alright."

"And you?"

His eyes refocused on hers and his lips quivered. "I don't know." He leant against the headboard and stared sadly at the opposite wall. Rory watched him patiently as he worked thought whatever was happening in his head, whatever inner conflict he was experiencing from the news. Eventually he spoke but his voice was soft and unsure. "I hate him...I always have. I was happy never seeing him again. But...he's still my...he's still my..."

Rory took his hand in hers. "He's still your father. No matter how much you hate him, you still love him. And you can't help that. You can love and hate someone at the same time. You can think you hate them entirely until something reminds you that deep down, there's still love there."

"He'll never change. Not like mum has."

"No ones asking for a miracle Stephen. But can I ask a question? Even with that surety in your mind that he won't change...do you love him?"

Stephen was silent for a moment before he nodded gently. "Yes. He's my father."

Rory smiled gently. "I was sure you'd say that."

"How?"

"Because you said you'd be there, that you'd leave first thing in the morning. It was automatic. You didn't need to think about it. Your first response was to go and see him even though you hate him. That's how I know you love him as well."

He smiled at her softly. "What would I ever do without you?"

"You'll never need to find out."

* * *

Stephen kissed her forehead gently as she slept and quickly made a note for her. He didn't have the heart to wake her because she was sleeping so peacefully. "I love you," he whispered to her before he crept from the house and made his way to Kings Cross. It was only 40 minutes to Kent but be felt like it would be the longest train ride of his life.

Rory awoke the next morning to a note on her husbands pillow.

 _ **Getting the 7:15 train to Kent. I'll be home tomorrow. Give Gina lots of kisses for me and tell her that daddy loves and misses her very much. I'll pass your love to mum. I love you, always xxxx**_

She smiled a little at the note and hoped that Stephen would be ok when he came face to face with his father.


	16. Hospital Visit

**AN: Hello again all. Well, that's uni done for Christmas so I should be able to get things written and posted a little quicker. And I'm officially on my 8th reread of Shades of London so lots of feels there. Emily, yes I have a plan for the name and sex of the baby but it's a secret :) Ashley, Stephen is actual perfection. Literally, I think that he's completely ruined real life guys for me cause no one could ever be as perfect as that cinnamon roll. Man, MC is taking over my life. This Xmas event is killing me. I managed to get the 30 hours premium dress which I was really hoping for but I'm seriously struggling. I haven't even got 4 endings done yet. I've nearly done the 4th one which will leave three sweet and one premium left to do. And I can't afford to but any charm sets so ugh. And I'm sorry...what?! Alyn wears glasses? OMG. Giles is defo my fave followed closely by By and Louis. Albert needs a route for me to play like yesterday. Seriously, Albert and Byron just need to bang already. It's so obvious. And yes, Ben has a cursed portrait in his attic. He must have. It's the only explanation as to how he looks as young as he does. Did you say 10 pages? Ouch man. That's rough. You and your friend sound like me and my sister lol we're always coming up with silly innuendos and dirty jokes xD**

 **Hospital visit**

He watched London roll away as he leant his head against the window. The last time he had seen his father was that day in Hyde Park. The day his mother had had a change of heart. His father had been characteristically cold and cruel, all Stephen had ever known from him. Now he was in the hospital and he was on his way. Why? Because he loved him. He hated him. And he loved him. He never wanted to see him again but he was worried about him. What a funny thing it is to hate and love someone at the same time. But Edward was his father. Of course he cared. Rory was right. She was always right. His fingers feathered over his wedding ring and he smiled gently as he thought of her. What he wouldn't give to have her here right now. But he knew this was something he had to do on his own. If he had brought Rory, they would also have had to bring Regina and, with his father, that was just asking for trouble.

The train eventually came to a stop and he stood from his seat slowly. Ghosts, dying, being resurrected, nearly losing the people he loved... That was frightening and yet this seemed harder than all of them put together. Marriage, fatherhood... Those were nerve wracking things but his nerves had survived them. Stephens heart was pounding as he disembarked the train and he only managed a very brief smile to his mother who was waiting on the platform. She walked over to him, her shoes clicking on the ground. She spoke softly as she kissed his cheek, aware of how nervous he was. "Hello dear."

"Hi mum." He kissed her cheek in return and smiled at her again.

She took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Ready?"

He chuckled derisively. "I don't think I'll ever be ready to have a conversation with him. How's he doing?"

"The doctors want to keep him in until tomorrow night, so you staying tonight won't be a problem." She smiled at him warmly, hoping that he'd agree to stay.

He nodded. "Yeah, I've left Rory a note saying I'd be home tomorrow so I'll be staying."

Her smile widened. "I'm glad."

They both stood smiling at each other before the whistle of the train broke their silence.

"Well," Diana said, "no time like the present. I've got the car. Are you ready?"

Stephen took a deep breath. "Yeah."

"It'll be ok. I'm here."

He nodded with a small smile. "And I'm glad you are mum."

He thought about that day in Hyde Park and remembered how good it had felt to stand up to his father. He mustered all of that up now as he walked alongside his mother to the car. No, he would not allow Edward Dene to intimidate him. Never again. He had come to see he was ok. That didn't mean he was going to sit and allow his father to give him shit.

The drive was quiet, Stephen contemplating what would happen when he saw his father again. He must have dozed off because it wasn't long until they got to the hospital and he felt his mother shaking his arm gently.

"Stephen dear? We're here."

He took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes and nodded before unlocking the car door and stepping out. He put his glasses back on as the warm May wind blew around him and he inhaled deeply before his feet started carrying him into the hospital.

* * *

His father lay in the hospital bed looking bored. Stephen saw his attention turn to his mother and Edward smiled briefly. But then he saw Stephen and his face dropped. Diana pointed to a chair on one side of his father's bed and Stephen walked to it as she spoke. "Stephens come to see you. He was worried about you." She took her place on the chair on the other side of the bed.

Edward shook his head. "Worried?"

"As hard as it may be for you to believe," Stephen said, "yes, I was." He placed the bag of fresh grapes he had bought on the bedside table with a get well soon card. "Are you well?"

"As well as can be expected." His father eyed the things Stephen had brought before looking back at him. "I didn't expect _you_ to come. I didn't visit you the last time you were in a hospital. After you tried to hang yourself. Why come to see me?"

Stephen almost laughed. He hadn't missed the tone his father had said _you_ in. He hadn't changed. _That wasn't the last time I was in hospital. There's been a few times since then. When the Ripper overdosed me with insulin, when I slipped into a coma and died, when I fractured my leg, when I got stabbed by a ghost. No wonder Rory's at her wits end._ But instead he just said "I guess I'm just a better person than you."

Edward turned away with a huff and closed his eyes. Diana glanced across to Stephen nervously. She sensed this wasn't going to go well.

"What's that _girls_ name again? The American?"

Stephen blinked hard as he turned back to his father. He forced himself to stay calm though he was angered by the derogatory tone his father had when he said girl. Still, it was better than whore which he had called her at least twice in the past. "She's not a girl. She's my wife. And the mother of my child. Her name is Rory."

Edward quietly snorted. "Funny name for a girl."

"Edward..." Diana's warning came from the seat opposite Stephen and she was watching her husband closely.

Stephens eyes never left his father. "Its short for Aurora."

Edward opened his eyes again and focussed on Stephen. "Well if her name is Aurora why don't you call her Aurora?"

"Because she doesn't like Aurora. She likes Rory."

"And she's a lovely woman," Diana added. Stephen smiled to himself.

"Which state is she from again?" Edward continued, ignoring his wife. "I can't remember."

"Louisiana."

Edward shook his head, clearly unimpressed. "And that one in pram? Name?"

Stephen narrowed his eyes. " _That one in the pram_ is my daughter...Regina."

Stephen watched his father's eyes darken at the name. "Don't mention that-"

"You asked. You wanted to know her name. My daughters name is Regina. Gina for short. Like her aunt. And I'll mention it all I want."

Edward scoffed. "You just want to hope that she doesn't take after her aunt and become a drug addict, dead by 17."

"Edward!"

Stephens hands gripped the sides of his chair and turned white. His eyes burned but he refused to cry. He forced himself to stay polite. Annoyingly so because he knew it would infuriate his father. "She won't. Because I'll make sure she knows that if she has a problem, she can talk to me about anything. Gina couldn't talk to you. She couldn't rely on you, couldn't trust you with her life, couldn't come to you for help. But it won't be like that with me and mine. I'll treat my daughter with the kindness and love you never showed. My daughter is only eight months old but she's already known more love than you ever gave me or Gina."

Edward gave him a hard stare before speaking quietly. "Your mother was just as guilty."

"I know. Trust me, I remember." Stephen turned his head to her and she looked up at him sadly. He smiled across to her gently. "But she's making the effort now. And I love her for it. She's finally acting like my mother."

Diana smiled at her son, tears welling in her eyes. She was distracted by Edward scoffing between them. "I don't know why she bothers."

"Because he's my son." She turned her head to her husband quickly. "And I love him. And I was stupid enough to not show it until it was nearly too late. But I was lucky. It wasn't too late. For some reason, Stephen was willing to give me a second chance. And I won't waste it."

Stephen couldn't help the smile that grew on his face. He stood silently and nodded to his mother before looking back to his father. "I think we're done here. I came to see you and to check on you because you're my father and I love you. That won't change. But I certainly don't like you so I'll take my leave. I don't expect we'll meet again. Certainly not on purpose. Our paths may cross in the future but I can't imagine either one of us will like that."

He picked up his jacket and pulled it on. "Goodbye father." He turned to Diana. "I'll wait by the car, mum."

"Ok dear. I won't be long."

"Take your time." He smiled at her and left the room without looking back. As he walked through the hospital corridors, he felt an overwhelming sense of sadness but didn't know why. What else had he expected? He knew his father would never change. Or perhaps he had expected something. Perhaps he had gotten off of the train and hoped. Hoped that his father had realised something. Hoped that maybe his family would be fixed. Hoped that he'd have both of his parents back. Perhaps he had wished for the chance to be loved by his father, wished that Regina could have all four grandparents rather than three. Maybe, even after all these years, he had dared to hope. Maybe that was why he was suddenly sad. His lip shook slightly and he cleared his throat. He dug out his phone from his pocket as he walked to check if he had any calls and accidentally opened the photo folder. He stopped walking as he flicked through the images on the screen of his phone.

Rory... So many of Rory.

Regina... From the day of her birth and onwards.

His mother... He finally had pictures of himself and her where they were both smiling.

Callum... Drunk at various parties.

Boo... Hanging from Callums arm with a smile.

Thorpe... He'd relented to one or two pictures at one of Stephens birthday parties.

Freddie... Always smiling merrily at the camera.

Jazza... Laughing at a joke with Rory as she always did.

Jerome... Sitting next to Jazza and Rory. Wexford friends forevermore.

He smiled at the photos as he flicked through them all and soon heard his mothers footsteps behind him. He turned and saw her walking briskly down the corridor. He smiled at her. She smiled back and they silently walked to the car together.

When they were sitting inside of it once more, Diana drove them back into Canterbury. "I'm sorry your father was like that."

"Don't be. It's not your fault. Besides, I expected no different. I guess. Anyway, at least I have you."

She smiled across at him briefly before looking back to the road ahead. "Always. I suppose you wonder why I stay with him. It's because-"

"You love him," he finished for her. "You don't always agree but that doesn't make you love him less. I understand what it's like to love someone as much as you love him."

He saw her smile gently with a nod. He did understand. No matter what happened, he could never part with Rory. He loved her far too much. She was...

He smiled. She was the other half of his soul. He unlocked his phone once more and flicked through the photos again.

Rory, Regina, his mother, Callum, Boo, Thorpe, Freddie, Jazza, Jerome... _They were his family._

His family didn't need fixed.

They weren't broken.


	17. Old Home

**Old Home**

The house loomed on them as they drove and he took in the sight as the car pulled to a stop. He stepped out of the car and hesitated before going to the boot to retrieve the overnight bag he'd brought. His mother smiled at him gently and he smiled back before he walked to the door of his parents house.

Stephen opened the door and stood in the doorway. He hadn't stepped foot in this house for seven years and it took a lot of effort to move his foot and make himself walk inside. When he stepped into the foyer, he felt like he was 17 again. 17, when he had come home for an hour to pick up some stuff. 17, when he had left here to go to London vowing to never come back. Now he was 24 and back, reconciled with his mother but never with his father.

His mother came in behind him and shut the door. "Your old room became a guest room when you left. You're welcome to it whenever you stay. You could bring Rory as well."

He turned to her with a smile. "Thanks mum. But I think we both know how that would go."

"I know. I just...it's nice having you here."

She smiled and Stephen turned back towards the stairs. He was about to walk to them when he heard footsteps coming towards the foyer. Paulina appeared in one of the doorways. She smiled at him brightly and held out her arms. "Stephen!"

He chuckled and went to her, giving her a hug. "Halo Paulina."

He still didn't speak much Polish and she still didn't speak much English but the hug conveyed all. His mind flashed to the day his parents forgot him at school 11 years earlier and Paulina had had to come and picked him up. She had come supplied with a Twix. They couldn't understand each other but they both recognised a kind soul in each other. He stepped back with a wide grin and picked up his overnight bag. His mother spoke from behind him. "Well I'm going to help Paulina prepare some breakfast. Just go and get yourself settled Stephen. Since its only 9am, would you like to go into town with me today? Spend the day together?"

He grinned. "I'd like that, mum."

She squeezed his arm and smiled at him kindly before walking to the kitchen with Paulina, leaving Stephen in the foyer with his bag. He glanced around before he walked to the stairs. The memories refused to stop flooding his mind. Regina had sat on these stairs when Paulina had brought him home and told him at he was more important than her exams.

He climbed the stairs slowly, taking in every detail of the house he thought he'd never return to. When he reached the landing, he walked to the door of his old room and pushed it open. It had changed a little. The single bed he'd had was gone and had been replaced by a double bed on the opposite side of the room. The wallpaper had changed from a faded blue to a sophisticated maroon. The carpet and the curtains remained the same as did the set of oak drawers and wardrobe. He walked into the room to the bed and set down his overnight bag before walking over to the set of drawers. He placed his hand on the wood and ran it along the edge as he wandered over to the window. His hand dropped from the drawers and he sat on the wide window sill and gazed out at the view of the garden as he had done so many times before.

As he sat there, his mind wandered as it often did, and the memories came to him in waves. He remembered sitting here after they had left Regina in London after their parents cut her off. He closed his eyes and thought about the last time he had ever seen his sister.

 _"Come on Gina."_

 _"I'm staying here."_

 _Despite their parents, she had kept her chin up and nodded to him, letting him know it was alright to go._

He didn't think it would be the last time he'd ever see her. But it had been. Yes, they'd gotten phone calls from her before she died. But it was never the same. She had been standing there smiling confidently. The last smile of hers that he ever saw in his father's flat in Maida Vale. Come to think of it, that flat had been bad luck for both the Dene children. Regina had been cut off from the family there which eventually led to her death and Stephen had slipped into his coma there which eventually led to his death.

But then he smiled. There was one thing he did remember about that flat that wasn't bad. On fact, it was one of his best memories.

 _"How can you promise to make it fine?"_

 _"You're alive. You're safe and with us. It's already fine. The rest is just window dressing."_

 _"You say that."_

 _"Because it is."_

 _He loved her. He wanted to reassure her, to protect her. He had given her shoulder a little rub then a small squeeze. She had leaned into him. Then she had put his hand on his chest and moved closer. His shirt had been open and her hand on his bare skin felt like fire. The good kind of fire. A fire that threatened to consume him._

 _"Rory." He protested gently. He wanted her so much, wanted nothing more than to press her lips to hers and never stop but she deserved better than someone as broken as him. She deserved a normal life. She ignored him, thank god. She didn't want normal. She wanted him. Their lips met and it frightened him. And delighted him. And he gave in to it. For a sparkling moment, all of his worries melted away because he was finally kissing Rory Deveaux, something he had secretly wanted to do as long as he'd known her. The only woman that he had ever loved, that he would ever love._

His first ever kiss. And it was with Rory, which made it all the more special.

He wished Regina could've met Rory. They would have loved each other. He stood, his feet moving on automatic. He left his room and crossed the landing. He could hear plates clattering in the kitchen. He could smell the breakfast cooking but his feet continued to carry him to another door. He opened it gently and peered inside. It was a small exercise studio. It had been for a long time. But once, it had been his sisters bedroom. So many times he had heard music coming from her room. So many times he had heard his parents tell her to turn it down. So many times she had responded by turning it up.

He opened the door fully and leant against the doorway. Everything that had been his sisters had been moved when she had died. It was nearly all gone. He had managed to find some of her books and kept them in a box in his wardrobe. Apparently, Rory had found them when she was searching for him after he died and she had cared for them as he had. They were back in that box now, back in the wardrobe. He would always remember the day he found out about Regina.

 _"Your sister...overdose it seems...nothing could be done."_

He heard footsteps behind him, soft and quiet. She didn't say a word, just stood by his side and looked into the room. They stayed like that for a few minutes before she spoke. "I wish we'd kept it the same. I wish we'd kept her room."

Stephen turned to his mother and saw tears in her eyes. "Don't torture yourself mum."

"Don't I deserve it? The kind of mother I was to you both?"

"No. No one deserves that."

"I still wish I could hear her music playing. I wouldn't tell her to turn it down."

A single tear slipped down her cheek and she sniffed and cleared her throat. "10 years, she's been gone. I wonder..."

She swallowed hard. "I wonder if she knows I'm doing my best now."

He smiled at her and put an arm around her shoulder. "I'm sure she knows, mum."

His mother sniffed again and pulled away gently, wiping the tears that freely ran down her cheeks. "I better clean myself up again. Can't go into town looking like this." She laughed gently and cleared her throat again. Stephen nodded with a smile and she walked past him, giving his arm a squeeze as she did. He turned back to look into Regina's old room one more time. Perhaps one last time.

"I hope you know. She's a good mum." He nodded at the empty room with a sad smile. "I love you, Gina. And I miss you."

With one final glance around the room, he sighed heavily.

The door shut gently, leaving the room in darkness once more.


	18. A Promise

**A Promise**

The sun began to drop low on the horizon as his feet crunched on the gravel of the path. His mothers feet crunched just behind him and he focused himself on walking forwards. He hadn't been here since the funeral. Maybe it was because he was never in Kent. Maybe it was because he was too busy in London. Maybe it was because it was just too hard.

His hands trembled around the bouquet of roses he gripped though he wasn't cold. No, those weren't the reasons. He would never be too busy to visit. And it was hard, but it wasn't too hard to bear. No, he just couldn't handle cemeteries. They were the domain of the dead and the dead watched him as he traversed through their abode. He saw the dead all the time but graveyards just had so many. His mother remained blissfully oblivious to the presence of the many ghosts around them while Stephen ignored them expertly. He had briefly wondered if his sister was a ghost but he knew the answer to that before he let himself really think it. No. She wasn't a ghost. She wasn't trapped.

He walked automatically. He knew the way through he'd only been once. And eventually his feet came to a stop and he turned to face the stone. His mother stopped beside him as she had done at her bedroom door a few hours earlier. Stephen gently dropped to his knees and placed the flowers against the headstone. The inscription was short. _Regina Dene. Beloved daughter and sister_. Her birthdate and her death date followed along with a very brief summary of her age. _Aged 17_.

Aged 17. The words rattled through Stephens mind as he thought about how young that was. And yet, young though it was, 17 seemed an important age to his life. He had tried to kill himself aged 17. He developed the sight aged 17. He left Kent aged 17. He had met Rory when she was 17. Everything seemed to focus on that simple number, on those two simple digits.

The wind blew through his hair and the petals of the roses blew against the stone. His father's words at the hospital seemed to echo in the wind. _You just want to hope that she doesn't take after her aunt and become a drug addict, dead by 17._ He did hope that his daughter would take after her aunt. Her aunt was kind and good. She was sweet and funny. Her aunt was the best of them. He wanted his daughter to be just like that. His sister had went off the rails but she had had no one to turn to. But his daughter would have someone. She would have so many people. She would have her father and her mother. She would have her Uncle Callum and Aunt Boo. She would have her Uncle Thorpe, Aunt Freddie, Uncle Jerome and Aunt Jazza. She would have her grandparents. Well, three of them. Regina would have so many people to turn to. He would make sure that she knew that. He wondered what she would be like aged 17. Would she look like her mother? Or would she take after him? The shock of black hair she had suggested the latter but that could change. Would something happen to her aged 17? Would her life change like her mothers had, like her father's had? She already had the sight. Would she meet the person she'd spend the rest of her life with? He smiled softly. He'd find out. He'd always be there for her.

He raised his fingertips to his lips and kissed them gently. Then he softly pressed them against the cold stone, his fingers ghosting over the indentation of his sisters name.

"I promise..." he whispered, though he didn't know what he was promising. But somehow, he knew that Regina would know what his promise was. Perhaps that's why he said it.

* * *

He left Kent early the next morning. His mother saw him to the train and waved him off after a long hug and a promise to visit London soon. He waved from the window as the train pulled put of the station and settled back into the seat for the 40 minute ride back to London. He checked his watch. It was 7:45. Just over 24 hours since he had left London and he missed his wife and daughter achingly. He smiled as he looked out of the window. He would see them soon. They'd probably both still be asleep when he got back. His head fell back against the seat and he allowed himself to doze off until the train terminated at London.

When he opened the door of 14 Goodwin's Court, his watch had just ticked onto 9am. He closed the door quietly and tried the office door. It was locked meaning no one had come into the office early. He hadn't really expected Callum, Boo or Freddie to be here yet but he had checked regardless. He turned away from the office door and climbed the stairs to his flat. He pulled the keys out of his pocket and gently opened the door, closing it again once he was inside. He made his way up to the bedrooms and softly opened the master bedroom door with a small creak. He smiled warmly as he walked into the room and placed his overnight bag on the floor next to the drawers.

Rory lay soundly on her side facing the wall, the blanket covering her lower half. He could see that she was wearing her long sleeved pyjamas, even the warm May weather too mild for her Louisiana body temperature. She would only ever wear a nighty when he was there to keep her warm, knowing that if she got cold she could wrap herself in his arms. The sun peeked through a crack between the curtains and threw a sliver of sunlight across her sleeping form. Her chest rose and fell gently and she had a small smile on her face. She was having a good dream. He walked over to her and slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. He feathered his knuckles over her cheek in a gentle caress before he kissed her temple and stood once more, quietly leaving the room. He crossed the corridor to the opposite bedroom and crept inside just as gently. He expected to see Regina asleep but he actually found her awake and cooing at the mobile above her. He smiled widely as he picked her up and kissed her cheek.

"Hello sweetheart," he whispered. "Daddy missed you so much."

He held her upright against him and she took his glasses off with a giggle. He chuckled. "Hey," he whispered, "daddy needs them."

He took them from her and placed them back on his face. "There. Now I can see you again."

Regina giggled again as Stephen slowly rocked her. He stood rocking her for a few moments before speaking. "I love you so much, Gina," he whispered. "My beautiful little girl. And I promise I will always be here for you. You'll always be able to talk to me about anything and I always help. I'll always love you, I promise. Your granddaddy...he never really loved me. Or your aunty. But I won't make the same mistakes he made. I'm going to make you a promise Regina Josephine Dene, a promise I will never break... I promise I won't fail you."

He felt a hand on his right shoulder and a hand on his left arm as a gentle kiss was dropped on his left shoulder. He turned himself slightly with a smile to greet a newly awoken Rory. "Hey."

"Hey." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him gently. "I missed you. We both did."

"I missed you both too."

"How did it go?"

"Terribly, like I expected."

Rory's face dropped a little and he shook his head. "It's ok. It didn't surprise me at all."

She nodded. "Is he gonna be ok?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine. Shockingly, the doctors managed to locate his heart."

Rory giggled at Stephens small joke and Regina giggled in response. Stephen grinned and shook his head. "Mum sends her love and promises to visit soon."

"Good. I look forward to it." She placed a hand on his arm and rubbed it comfortingly. "Are you sure you're ok about your dad?"

"Yeah. He wants nothing to do with me and I'm fine with that. I've got more important things to worry about." He smiled at Regina before looking back to Rory. "He doesn't want to be a part of my family and that's fine. It's his loss not ours. Our family is already pretty perfect."

"Yeah," she stepped closer to him and cuddled against him. "It is."

"And I'm going to look after my family. I promise."


End file.
